


April - The Month of Infinity War

by Myheroesrbands



Category: Captain America (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Dad!Tony, Gen, Iron Dad, Iron Husbands, New Avengers, Old Avengers, Protective Everyone, Science Bros, Starkquill - Freeform, Stony - Freeform, WinterFalcon - Freeform, countdown to infinity war, sorry author is still bitter about CACW, tony is peter's dad hc, winteriron
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-04-20 08:40:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 21,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14257137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myheroesrbands/pseuds/Myheroesrbands
Summary: Since Infinity War comes out this month, I plan to post a marvel fic every day. Every. Single. Day. Of. April.However, there will be a schedule.Sunday (starting April 1st): WinterfalconMonday: Ironhusbands + Starkquill (two fic special!!!!!)Tuesday: StonyWednesday: WinterironThursday: SciencebrosFriday: IronpantherSaturday: Dad!Tony and fam (no matter the ship)





	1. You're Special to Me - Winterfalcon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none. Happiness and fluff. Mild Stony. AU

It was almost Christmas and Bucky was freaking out because he didn’t know what to get his boyfriend of three years. They had been through so much together and to Bucky, something as materialistic as a simple gift could not even begin to quantify the amount of love he felt for Sam.

  
Sam was the only person that didn’t treat him like he was a fragile piece of glass after everything. When Tony’s B.A.R.F. tech and therapy had successfully removed the soldier’s trigger words from his head, Sam was there beside him throughout his entire recovery period. When they started dating, Bucky was so confused that Sam had felt the same way about him but he didn’t question it. If Sam wanted to be with him, he wanted it for a reason.

  
Now, back to the issue at hand. Bucky was currently in the kitchen of he and Sam’s apartment baking cookies. It was just a small, temporary gift (because no amount of cookies could make up for the crazy amounts that Sam’s mom made for the Avengers each year) but he knew Sam would appreciate it. He also had an idea for an even larger gift sitting in his mind. Sam was the most important thing in his life and he didn’t want to lose him any time soon. Therefore, Sam deserved the world for being able to put up with all of his crap.

  
“Buck!” Sam called as he entered their apartment. His jingling keys made Bucky realize how at home he felt around Sam and how domestic he was with him as well. He chuckled at the thought and replied, “Hey birdie.” Sam groaned. “I told you, man. That’s not cool.” Bucky smiled as Sam walked into the kitchen and kissed his lips.

  
“But that’s cool,” Bucky said and wiggled his eyebrows. Sam smirked and walked away. Bucky couldn’t help but stare at that ass that he loves so much. Everything about Sam was loveable but his ass. Jesus Christ.

  
Okay, back on track (again). Bucky was thinking about proposing to Sam for Christmas. He had been sitting in their bedroom one night with Sam’s head across his chest when the idea came to mind. He and Sam had already discussed the possibility of them getting married but after that, Bucky hadn’t really thought about it much further. But as they lay together and the only heard sound was Sam’s breathing, Bucky thought about how much he never wanted to lose what he has with Sam.

  
Now, with less than two weeks to Christmas, Bucky was stuck as he decided what type of ring he should get Sam. Sam wasn’t a really flashy person but he did value what he could get.

  
He was left alone trying to buy the ring because Steve couldn’t pick out one to save his life (hence the reason he and Tony hadn’t even gotten engaged. They just got straight to the marriage part). Peter was a kid. Tony was too flashy and willing to spend too much money. Everyone else literally knew jack shit about Sam. Therefore, it was up to Bucky to pick out the best ring for his boyfriend.

  
The next day, Sam left for a mission. It wasn’t very uncommon but the missions were never really close together so Bucky and Sam got to spend more time together now that the Avengers had grown in numbers in the post-Thanos era.

  
Because Sam was gone, Bucky was able to go out and not have to worry about Sam being too nosy and in his business. Before Bucky left the apartment, he asked Friday, on his Starkphone, where some nearby jewelry stores were. Once he gathered a few locations, he left to go on his mission and find the best ring for his boyfriend.

  
He spent nearly three hours trying to find one. This was no easy feat he thought as he walked out of yet another jewelry store that had no ring that caught his eye. With his head hanging low, Bucky began to make his way to the final stop. It wasn’t too far from the previous store but he hadn’t eaten so he stopped in the closest Starbucks and grabbed a hot coffee. He sat in the Starbucks and took in the beautiful sight of New Yorkers walking down the snowy street for 15 minutes before he left and went to the last store.

  
He had been in this particular store for twenty minutes when he saw it. The most beautiful ring he had ever seen.

As plain as others may have seen it, Bucky thought it was the best mixture of he and Sam he had ever seen. He had made up his mind. This was the ring he would get Sam.  
Now the wait until Christmas began.

  
On Christmas morning, Bucky was practically oozing with nervousness. He and Sam had invited Steve and Tony over for the day so Steve and Sam were in the kitchen cooking Christmas breakfast. Tony was walking toward Bucky who sat on the couch reading a newspaper. Yes. A physical newspaper.

  
“Hi Bucky,” Tony greeted him with a smile and Bucky had to stuff the guilt trying to wedge its way up, down. “Hey,” he replied in kind and looked back at his paper. He wasn’t really reading it more than he was staring at it. Tony noticed.

  
“Are you okay?” The genius asked and Bucky had to stifle a groan. “Yea,” he grumbled out and Tony sighed. “You sure?” He prodded.

  
Bucky stole a quick glance at the kitchen to make sure Sam and Steve were distracted before turning back to Tony. “No,” he whispered. “What’s up?” Tony asked.

  
“I’m gonna ask Sam to marry me,” he stated and Tony’s eyes widened quickly. It wasn’t like he wasn’t married himself, but it was more of a shock because this was Bucky we were talking about. Quiet and serious, always contemplating, Bucky. A serious relationship was what Sam and he had but Tony hadn’t seen marriage in the picture.

  
“Oh really?” He hid his shock well, Bucky noted. “Yea,” he started. “Now that you know you have to act surprised. Got it?” Tony nodded and smiled happily. “You deserve happiness Buck,” Tony said and stood to walk over to his husband who was sitting plates on the table alongside Sam.

  
When breakfast was finished, the group of four migrated to the living room where a small but cherished tree was sitting in the corner. Steve and Tony opened their gifts first. It’s hard buying something for someone who can buy himself anything so Steve drew his husband a portrait of him in his workshop surrounded by his robots. It was absolutely adorable.

  
Bucky and Sam pitched some money together and got him a set of custom-made cufflinks that were red and gold. Tony bought Steve a new drawing board and a new brown leather jacket since his other one had accidentally gotten ruined by the cleaners. (Let’s just say that cleaners chain is no longer in business.)

  
Sam and Bucky were next. Sam bought Bucky a silver locket necklace with a picture of Bucky, Sam, and Steve inside. “A way to know that we’re always with you,” Sam shyly described and Bucky wanted to punch himself for not having anything to say in response except, “wow.”

  
“Well. Bucky you’re up,” Steve spoke and Bucky’s heart sped up. He was lucky that everyone was sitting on the couch already or it would have been super awkward if they were both on the floor.

  
Bucky’s eyes flew to Tony who discretely nodded as motivation. Bucky breathed to himself and closed his eyes.

  
He stood and was on one knee in front of Sam in an instant. Grabbing the small box from his inside jacket pocket, Bucky opened his eyes and looked up at Sam who was staring at him in confusion. “Buck-”

  
“No Sam. Listen. Before you came into my life, I was a broken man on the run from my idiot best friend. He was searching for me and you just happened to be there, too. We didn’t get along that well then and hell, we still have our disagreements, but after everything that happened, you stood by my side. Not as my friend. You were brave enough to take on the role of my boyfriend. I can’t believe you did that by the way,” Bucky said and watched as Sam chuckled. “I know I suck at the relationship stuff sometimes but you still put up with my crap anyway. I couldn’t ask for anyone else to be with and I’m glad that I don’t have to. Sam Wilson, you have dedicated three years to being by my side. Will you marry me and make that a lifetime? ” Bucky’s nerves had skyrocketed and he was surprised the box hadn’t fallen out of his hand with how bad he was shaking.

  
“Of course I will you idiot,” Sam responded and Bucky could faintly make out the sound of Steve and Tony cheering behind him. That didn’t matter. He placed the ring on Sam’s finger and, once again, marveled at how perfect it was. Sam kissed his lips and Bucky pulled him into a hug. “You’re special to me. I never want to let you go.”

  
Sam responded in kind. “You won’t have to.”

 


	2. IronHusbands ficlet/AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none. Fluff. Post-CW. Very short.

Imagine Tony and Rhodey in the post-Civil War era. Rhodey has been honorably discharged from the Air Force and that rips his heart apart. Tony works to help Rhodey on his way to recovery while also battling the weight of getting the Rogues their pardons and fighting for fair amendments on the accords and trying to get Ross fired. (Easier said than done.)

It seems like a great weight is on both of their shoulders but after 9 long months, they finally catch a break.

Rhodey's braces are functioning (although not at the highest capacity but who cares right? Something, for now, is worth everything) and the UN have laid off on breathing down Tony's neck for the time being.

"I give myself two weeks before they start calling me again," Tony admits as he and Rhodey are laying in bed on the first night of their break from everything. Rhodey smiles softly and replied, "Oh really? I give it two days. They can't function without you Tones." Tony sighs and buries his face further into Rhodey's neck.

"Don't wanna." His voice is muffled as he speaks into the skin of his lover. Rhodey shivers at the air and his hand, the one that was not under Tony, began to rub it's way up and down Tony's back. "I don't want you to either. But you have to. You know you do." "I guess so," Tony says and sits up on his elbows to look at Rhodey more clearly.

"Can you believe we've been through so much shit together?" His eyes crinkle and a light shines behind them as Tony asks the question. Rhodey is momentarily thrown off by the beauty. "I believe it. MIT to now. Funny how things turn out."

Tony sighs dreamily and lays his head back on Rhodey's chest. "Go to sleep Tones. You need it." Tony hums. "Fine. I love you."

"I love you too Tony."


	3. On the Edge - Stony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There may be a part 2 to this. It depends on what you all think. This one is also very short.

The love story of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark was one for the books. They weren't the most likely couple you would expect to be together but when they were together it as like no other couple existed. They were the center of attention (I mean have you  _seen_  Tony Stark).

However, even the relationships that are sunshine and daisy's for the outside world can crumble behind closed doors.

"What do you mean Tony! This wasn't my doing!" Steve yelled one night as the two of them stood in the kitchen of their shared floor. "Really? Because the fucking evidence isn't right in front of me," Tony scoffed as sarcasm dripped from his voice. "I get it, Steve. If you don't want to be with me anymore fine. But you could have at least refrained from  _CHEATING ON ME_!" Tony yelled and his voice wavered as he spoke the last three words.

"Tony. You know I would never do -" "Do I Steve?" Tony cut him off. "Do I really  _know_  what you wouldn't do. Right now I feel like I don't even know you. I," he paused to take a breath.

"We need a break. This," he motioned between the two of them, "can't continue to be something that lacks trust. I can't do that to myself and I definitely don't want to do that to you."

Steve's devastation was evident on his face. "Tony. You- you don't mean that" he stammered as he ran his hands through his hair. It had become a habit he picked up from living with Tony for 7 years.

"Oh but I do Steve. If I can't provide the comfort you want, we can't continue to function like this. I can't do it, Steve. You know I'm a ticking time bomb and if this goes on, I just might blow. Steve. Please. Go," Tony pleaded and looked under hooded eyes at the man he loved for many years. Steve Rogers stood stunned with tears running down his face. It was truly a sight. If Tony hadn't been seeing it himself, he wouldn't have believed something like this would happen.

"I love you, Steve. I always will. But I need to breathe. You need to breathe. We need this time apart."


	4. "It's about the baby. It's yours." and "Is that my Shirt?" - Winteriron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: non-powered AU (Bucky still without his arm even though that's not majorly important); Stark not a popular tech name/company AU; one-night stand leads to pregnancy AU; trans!male Tony.
> 
> Note: I'm not entirely educated on this so I only touch details very lightly. I'm still learning about the LGBTQ+ community as I write this so I will take full responsibility for any ignorant comments made in this fic.
> 
> Requested prompt on Tumblr

March had always been Bucky’s favorite month. It was that standing period between winter and spring and it always brought out the weirdest fashion senses. For instance, you never knew when to put away the coat and break out the windbreaker or when it stopped being thick sock season and became ankle sock season. For Bucky, March was that one month needed to explore the extent to which humans could adapt to mother nature’s wild ways.

Therefore, it goes without saying that Bucky was completely confused, and not to mention surprised, to return to his apartment to find a man standing in the middle of his living room on February 28th. “How did you get in here?” He immediately asked. He was already making a mental note to make sure to have the security system in his apartment updated as soon as possible. “Picked the lock,” the man in front of him spoke softly. He was of medium height with ruffled hair that wasn’t too long or too short and a goatee. In all, he was fairly attractive and  _definitely_  Bucky’s type. “Okay,” he dragged the word in response and placed his work bag on the resting chair and his coat on the coat hanger.

“Why are you here then?” Bucky asked.

“Because there’s a problem,” the man paused. “You don’t remember me do you?” “Am I supposed to?” Bucky questioned in retaliation and stood to his full height to take a good look at the man that broke into his apartment. “Uhhh. You know what nevermind. This was a mistake. Coming here,” he finished and began to make his way to the door to leave but Bucky blocked his way. “Now mister-mystery. You can’t just waltz into my apartment, expect me to know who you are without telling me your name, and then just leave,” Bucky tsked as a smirk grew on his face. “ _That’s_  just impolite.”

“Tony Stark,” the man whispered but Bucky couldn’t hear exactly what he said so he asked him to repeat himself. “Tony Stark,” the man spoke louder. His glasses were sliding down his nose and he pushed them up on his face. “Sorry to bother you. I’ll just. Leave.” He pointed towards the door and began to walk out again but, again, Bucky decided to block his path. “Mr. Stark,” He said, testing the name. “It would make me a bad host if I didn’t at least let you have dinner.” “But I broke into your home,” Tony spoke in shock and Bucky shrugged. “If you wanted to rob me, I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now, so I think we’re good.” Bucky nodded and Tony stared at him in shock. “Fine.”

An hour later, Bucky and Tony were eating Chinese takeout that Bucky had ordered from a Chinese food restaurant from down the street. “So why did you come here? You seem to know me more than I know you so? What’s your deal?” Bucky questioned.

Tony sighed and racked his brain for the best plausible lie he could think of. “Uhh. A friend of mine said he knew you and that I would be better off being with you right now,” he said, which wasn’t necessarily a lie but it wasn’t the entire truth. “What friend?” Bucky asked and Tony replied, “Steve Rogers.” “Oh old Stevie. You know him?”

“Yea. You know he’s a military man and so is my best friend. Military people,” he spoke fondly. Bucky struggled to read the man sitting across from him. He was like a closed book that you never wanted to put down after you finished reading it. It was thrilling and it drew Bucky in even more. “Oh yea. I know all about those military guys and their ‘connections’,” Bucky said and watched as a small, but beautiful, smile crossed Tony’s face. “So is there anything you needed in particular?” He asked curiously. There had to be an  _exact_  reason that Tony had been in his home.

“I needed a place to stay for a while. Family’s in a bit of a troubling place right now.” “How old are you exactly?” “What is this twenty-questions?” Tony sassily countered.

“You broke into my house,” Bucky weakly responded and Tony sighed in defeat. “Fine,” he whined, dragging out the ‘e’. “So how old are you?” Bucky repeated. “27,” Tony replied. “What are these family troubles you’re having?: “Parents died and now I have to take on the family business. Bit of a rough road so yea.”

“So how long do you think you’re going to need to stay here?” Tony stroked his goatee as if to feign thinking. “About a month?” He questioned and looked in Bucky’s eyes. “Okay. But you’re buying your own shit.” Tony laughed and nodded.

When the third week of March rolled around, Bucky and Tony had developed something akin to a system. Bucky left for work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6am while Tony was still sleeping at that time only to awaken around 8:30-ish. Tony would spend some time cleaning and would go out with his friend Pepper whenever they were so inclined to do so. Around 12, Tony would head to the main chain of Stark Restaurants in NYC where he worked as cashier and chef when he could. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Bucky worked later and would leave around 10am. Tony’s work schedule wouldn’t change, however, and he was practically working himself to death. Well that wouldn’t be the only thing that was killing him.

He had a huge secret to tell Bucky. Bucky had been overly generous by offering Tony the opportunity to live in his apartment and Tony was forever grateful but there was an actual reason that he was there.

Tony was pregnant --because of course the first time he has a one night stand in a few years ends in him getting pregnant-- and he knew that Bucky was the father. To Tony though, telling Bucky would take a lot of work and he was scared. He didn’t know how Bucky felt about men, let-alone how he would feel about Tony. Tony was very lucky that it wasn’t something that had been brought up but he knew that he was going to need to bring up the topic of his pregnancy to Bucky because he deserved to know he had a child on the way (it was just a matter of when that was bothering him).

On the Thursday of the third week of March, Tony had, somehow, forgotten that it was Thursday and put on one of Bucky’s shirts that he had stolen from the man’s drawers (it’s not  _stealing_. I’m just borrowing it -he told himself). He was, as per usual, up cleaning the living room when Bucky walked in,  _without a shirt_ , and startled Tony to no end.  **“Is that my shirt?”**  He asked and Tony froze on the spot. He was wiping off a bit of dust that had gathered around the television and the cloth he had been holding slipped from his grip. “No,” he drawled, trying to keep the surprise from creeping up in his voice ( _that_  didn’t work). “Okay,” Bucky drawled and slowly walked back into his room.

Tony took that moment of freedom to breath. His eyes closed and his left hand unconsciously reached for his stomach and he sighed in relief. “Is something wrong?” He heard a worried voice and stood up bone straight. “What do you mean?” He asked and slowly opened his eyes to look at Bucky. “You’re holding your stomach. Is there something wrong?” He repeated.

Tony stole a glance at the clock and noticed he didn’t have to be at work for another 2 hours and sighed.  _Time for some explaining._

“I have something to explain.” He motioned to the couch, where he was moving toward, to take a seat and Bucky reluctantly followed suit.

“I’m transgender,” Tony revealed. Bucky gasped and asked, “Really?” He was genuinely curious and Tony didn’t want to condescend him for being that way, but he had been met with that question so many times in his life that it pissed him off. With irritation dripping from his voice, he spoke. “Yes. Really. Do you have any ignorant questions that I should answer before I tell you the rest?” His bluntness caught Bucky off-guard. “Umm. No?”

“Good.” Then the next thing Tony said made Bucky faint. “I’m pregnant.”

Now, Tony and Bucky relationship as roommates had grown significantly from the time they had met at the beginning of March. However, this made their relationship, surprisingly, grow even further because of Bucky’s genuine curiosity. After the first three days of ignorant questions and getting concise and patient answers in return, Bucky finally understood how Tony was pregnant and the process he was going through.

However, on the last day of March, Tony decided it was time to tell Bucky the whole truth. He was lucky that March 31st was on a Saturday, a day that was uneventful for them both, usually, or he would have had to deal with conflicting schedules and not being able to face the truth of the situation.

So that morning around 10am, Tony and Bucky found themselves, once again, on the same couch where Tony had revealed who he was to Bucky. Now he had to tell him the truth.

“So I have something to get off of my chest,” Tony started and Bucky diverted all of his attention to Tony. It wasn’t hard considering how infatuated with Tony he had become.

Tony breathed to steady himself before speaking. “I’m not here because I need a place to stay. I should have told you this that first night but you didn’t remember me at all and I was just thinking about how I had made such a huge mistake by coming here an--” Bucky cut him off. “Woah. Woah. Woah. What do you mean? Tony. I’m so confused right now. You know me?”

Tony’s judgement was clouded in that moment so he interpreted Bucky’s tone as one of anger and began to shrink in on himself. “I-uhm. May have hidden the truth from you. I do know Steve Rogers but he’s not the reason I’m here. I’m here because,” he paused to breath. “I’m here because  **this is about the baby. It’s yours.”**  First, Bucky stared at him in shock. Next, he stood up, put on a pair of shoes and a jacket, and walked right out the door. Tony sighed and almost broke down.  _That will certainly get me kicked out. So I might as well just start packing._  He sighed to himself and went to his, guest, room and grabbed his clothes from the drawers and began to put them in his two suitcases.

He had finished packing within the hour and was gone from the apartment within an hour and a half. It was devastating to say the least, but he knew that he would make it through it. This was just one obstacle and if his baby’s father didn’t want to be in his baby’s life then so be it.

Later that night, as Tony was preparing for bed in a place that felt entirely foreign to him after not being in his own home for a month, his phone rang. “Hello,” his tired voice rang through the air. He hadn’t bothered to check the caller ID because his phone would have been too bright on his fragile eyes. “Tony,” a voice breathed back and Tony sat up in his bed. “Bucky,” he said and cleared his throat of evidence he had been falling asleep. “Look. I know my walking out was a dick move but I needed time to think. I talked to Steve about it and my head is clear. I know we aren’t exactly in a relationship but I do want to be in my child’s life.” “Okay” Tony settled. “But could you not have waited until tomorrow. You disrupted my beauty rest.”

_“Oh but Tony. Is this not the perfect end to my favorite month?”_


	5. There's a Change to Us - Science Bros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: not any bad ones. Reunions. Takes place after Ragnarok and Civil War and the smallest bit before Infinity War

 

Bruce hadn’t thought much about how he arrived in this position but as he sat on the ship with Thor and his people, Bruce was able to decipher some things about the last few years. Firstly, he and Tony hadn’t ended on the best note. He cursed himself because Tony deserved to know that Bruce was okay but there was no plausible way that he would be able to relay that information unless he returned to Earth. He wasn’t sure if Tony had moved on from their relationship or not. He hadn’t been entirely honest about the situation with Natasha and he still had an overwhelming guilt resting in his stomach about that. Tony had left a message for the Hulk while he was in stealth mode and Bruce could do nothing but watch with uneasiness because he wasn’t entirely honest with his lover.

It was sickening.

But he just may have gotten his chance to get his Tony back. After a long explanation of what infinity stones were and why Earth was a potential threat to the rest of the universe, Thor had decided they would bring the ship to Earth.

Upon arrival, Bruce is compelled to leave the people to themselves but is quick to stop that thought because he had come here with this group of people. The least he could do was offer some type of physical support as they tried to ‘adjust to their surroundings.

Within a month, Thor had somehow been able to get the people of his home settled into life on earth. It would take several years for them to become accustomed to life on earth but Thor was sure that his people would be able to overcome any challenges that should arise.

In that month, Thor also noticed how detached --more detached than usual would be the appropriate term-- Bruce had become. “Banner, if need be, I would recommend you go see Stark. You seem to have had a significant decline in your physical health since our arrival on Earth.” Bruce looked at Thor in shock at how he understood how Bruce was feeling.

In no time, Bruce was able to find tickets from Oslo to New York and in two days, he was standing outside of Avengers tower. Many people were coming and going along the streets and Bruce got a little overwhelmed at how many there were but breathed to himself to help calm his nerves. He took two steps inside and jumped in surprise when he heard the voice of an AI that sounded as though she had grown like the growth of a child. “Mr. Banner. It has been two years since you were last here. Is there anything that you need?” She politely asked and Bruce almost started crying on the spot. JARVIS was dearly missed even if Bruce had only known him for a limited time. FRIDAY, however, sounded as if she had grown far beyond the time she had been active. Tony was truly a genius in every sense of the word.

Bruce asked the AI if he was still allowed to go to his own floor. FRIDAY told him she had no protocol to go against his wish and he went to his floor. Walking around, Bruce saw that his floor was damn near empty which was not unlike the other floors that were without their occupants for a shorter time than Bruce had been gone.

Bruce sighed and asked FRIDAY where Tony was and she replied that he was on his own floor. Bruce asked FRIDAY to alert Tony that he was here because he didn’t want to invade the other man’s privacy. A few moments later, Tony was walking through the elevator to Bruce’s floor. “Bruce,” Tony breathed out and stopped in the middle of the kitchen just to take in the sight before him –to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Hi Tony,” Bruce waved shyly and waited. He waited for Tony to make the next move because after being away for so long, the ball for anything between them was in Tony’s court. Bruce waited because he wanted Tony to have the opportunity of having a  _choice_  instead of having things decided for him.

Tony walked slowly toward Bruce and when he was in front of Bruce, he hugged him tentatively. Bruce breathed soundly in relief. Even if this was just a start, Bruce was satisfied with this simple hug for now. This hug showed that Tony didn’t hate him.

He was just so uncertain of everything nowadays and Bruce wanted to change that. If it took him years to do so, then so be it because at least it would be getting done.


	6. "What have we done?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none. Fluff. Peter and Shuri meet because that’s awesome  
> Fic day #6/30

Tony kept checking his phone to see if T’Challa had updated him on the status of his and Peter’s ‘adventure’ to Wakanda. T’Challa had invited Tony and Peter to Wakanda as a vacation (and he wanted to see his boyfriend but that’s beside the point). Peter and Tony were in one of Tony’s private jets to T’Challa’s home. The only setback that the two had repeatedly discussed was the eventual meet up between Peter and Shuri –two graciously intelligent teenage minds.

Tony decided he wasn’t going to wait for T’Challa to call so he went to sleep. He awoke three hours later and checked his phone before he stood up (it’s normal, he tells himself). He stretches and walks out of his section of the jet and to where he specifically told Peter to stay and not wonder. Peter was sleeping soundly on the bed provided for him and Tony smiled softly. Of all the things that could have come out of the disagreement with Cap, Tony was glad that he got Peter out of the mix. Even for a kid, he was already bringing out a side of Tony that not even Tony would have guessed existed.

Walking back to his section, Tony spent the time thinking about how this feeling he had right now, in this very moment as he thought about seeing his boyfriend and his little sister and the kid that was on this plane with him, and how he had never felt like this before. This elation was an entirely foreign feeling and he hoped that it wouldn’t end because if it did, he was almost certain he wouldn’t be able to put himself back together.

When he arrived back in his section, Tony pulled his phone out again and first called Rhodey. “Honey bear!” He exclaimed when he saw Rhodey’s face appear in the holographic image in front of him. “Tony. We already talked about this. No more pet names while your boyfriend is a freaking King. He could have me dead and no one would ever know.” Tony pouted. “He would never.”

“Oh but he actually would,” Rhodey said and smirked at Tony’s feigned look of horror. “How’s the flight?” He asked seriously. Tony responded, “We’re holding up. Peter’s napping right now and I’m still waiting for T’Challa to call me.” “If his sister is anything like you say she is, she and Peter will be troublemakers.”

“I know.” Tony smiled and it was Rhodey’s turn to look at Tony in horror. “You really want that stress?” “It’s not stressful Rhodes. They’re teenagers. I’m going to fuel their fire.” Tony outwardly laughed and Rhodey sighed. “You better not call me when you and T’Challa are stuck in a situation you don’t want to be in.” Tony continued to chuckle. “Alright. You have fun in Wakanda and come back safely okay?” Rhodey warned and Tony mock-saluted in response. “Yes sir,” he said and ended the call.

Tony was just playing around on his phone when T’Challa called him thirty minutes later. “My love,” T’Challa greeted and Tony blushed. “My King,” he responded. “How’s your flight?” “It’s going great right now. Peter’s sleeping and probably won’t wake up until we get to Wakanda.” “Good. That is good.” “How is Shuri?”

“She awaits your arrival as usual. However, she has filled her time watching footage of the young spider you bring with you.” Tony laughed. “She wants him to get new webs doesn’t she?”

“I can’t even comprehend what she’s saying now but that was the subject about an hour ago,” T’Challa spoke fondly of his baby sister and Tony was glad he was able to witness the relationship they had. It was like no other brother-sister relationship he had ever seen.

“Well, we’re not that far out so make sure the Dora Milaje know. I’m still scared of them.” T’Challa chuckled softly. “They will protect you, my love.” Tony softly smiled and relaxed back in his seat. “Tell me a story,” he said and could imagine the bright smile that would illuminate T’Challa’s face at the words. “Of course my love.”

Tony falls asleep in the middle of the story and wakes up to find he is no longer on the phone with T’Challa and less than 10 minutes from landing. He went to the room Peter was in and woke him up.

T’Challa and Okoye awaited their arrival at the palace and Tony smiled at his boyfriend. “My love,” T’Challa greeted and Tony bowed. “My king,” he responded. It was their ‘thing’ --their way of acknowledging the other’s presence.

Peter made a loud gagging noise and Tony smugly noted Okoye’s similar (but far more guarded) expression. “Oh hush,” Tony said and wrapped his arm around T’Challa’s. He turned around and faced Peter. “Come on. We have someone you need to meet.” T’Challa whispered in Tony’s ear, “not if you want to live to see tomorrow.” Tony laughed and they continued to walk to Shuri’s lab.

When they arrived, Shuri was busy looking over something that dealt with Barnes’ psychological healing. “Sister,” T’Challa announced. Peter, who stood behind Tony, looked around the room wondrously until his eyes landed on Shuri. “Is this your lab?” He asked.

She nodded slowly and they stared at each other for a long moment. No blinking. Tony could barely tell if they were breathing. It was almost as if they were having a conversation without having uttered a single word.

Tony and T’Challa could do nothing but watch as the two teens analyzed each other.

“This is so awesome!” Peter suddenly yelled and jumped up. He ran to Shuri’s side and they immediately started speaking so quickly that Tony could barely make out any of the words that were being exchanged between the two.

“I warned you. You did not take heed to that warning at all,” T’Challa spoke with a know-it-all tone.

Tony violently cursed, “Shit. What have we done?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this post was so late. This past week was very stressful for me (Junior Year is hard). So, I'm going to get to posting the week's fics.


	7. First line prompt: "They found his journal under his bed." - Dad!Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ship: none. Dad!tony (kind of but follows that dynamic)  
> Warnings: Major Character Death; sadness; guilt; sorry, the author is still bitter  
> Fic day #7/30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER

They found his journal under his bed. They weren’t expecting to find anything of significance when they decided to come back to Stark Tower but now that everything was being moved into storage, they had to look for something.

Steve was surprised to see that Tony had kept a diary. “Why would he need a diary if his whole life was on the internet?” He wondered aloud and everyone else, Natasha, Bucky, Clint, Sam, and Wanda, standing in the room with him quirked their head in his direction. The thick black book in his hand was not something they expected to be full of the words of their fallen teammate.

It had taken two years after the fallout of the ‘Civil War’ for Tony Stark to succumb to injuries –the ones he was left with after the fight in the bunker in Siberia and the ones that had been plaguing his life long before then. The ex-avengers were granted a temporary pardon that would encompass the time immediately passing Tony’s death until his funeral two weeks later.

“Of course he did. He was always making something about himself,” Natasha offhandedly condemned. “Natasha,” Steve softly spoke. “You know he wasn’t like that at all.” “Oh, but he was, Steve. The fact that he even made a diary makes it entirely about himself. Everything he ever did.”

“Oh really?” A voice spoke from the door of the room they were in. “Because I didn’t know flying a missile into a wormhole full of an alien army was a selfish thing to do.” “He didn’t care about the people when he did that,” Natasha continued and Peter stared at her in disbelief.

“You are a sick bitch. You really think that Tony did all of that for his own personal gain? What was there to gain? Death? Death threats? A terrorist bombing his home? I hope you rot in hell because he was the most selfless person I ever met. He was damn near a father to me and you want to shit on his name like he didn’t provide a home for you. Like he didn’t make all your equipment. Like he never felt like shit when you all never invited him to any of your ‘team outings.’” Peter paused and looked at the people in Tony’s room. They were so lucky they weren’t in his personal room because if they were, Peter would be kicking them out as they spoke.

“Actually, I don’t want to waste my time speaking to you shitheads that won’t give a damn about what I’m saying. You all piss me off to no end and I swear if it were up to me, you wouldn’t be here at all. Tony may have wanted you here --goddamn him for having such a good fucking heart-- but I could give a shit less about you. Even when the people who killed him were involved, he was still a selfless person.” He glared at them. “You deserve all of the hell that will come your way. Every single bit of it.”

Peter looked at Bucky for a long moment. Shaking his head he spoke, “Mr. Barnes. Please come with me.” Bucky looked very confused but followed gratefully. He loved Steve, he really did, but the man had committed a crime as great as many of Bucky’s own. There was nothing that justified Steve’s or his own actions and they both --no they all deserved to pay for what they had done.

Steve stood frozen in his spot for a long while before he sighed and decided that they needed answers and it looked like this journal was the only way they would get them. Sitting down, Steve motioned for his other teammates to do the same and they were all crowded around Steve like children in seconds. For a moment, Steve thought about how blindly these people were following (and had followed) him and quickly pushed that thought away.   _These people are my team. They understand me._

Flipping to the first page, Steve began to read. “Dad told me he hated me today,” he spoke softly as he repeated the words written in front of him.

Within two hours, Steve spoke the final sentence written in (apparently one of many) this diary. “Foolishly, I hope these issues, my anxiety, my PTSD, my insomnia, my heart weakness, do not affect  _Iron Man_  because that’s who everyone needs. Iron Man –not Tony Stark.” Steve stared blankly at the page and was startled out of his vacant feelings by clapping at the door. “Now you have a glimpse of who Tony was. Not the man that helped you in the field or become a better Avenger. I may not have known him long but I know what a good person is like. As self-deprecating as Tony Stark was, he was also a good person.” Peter spoke fondly of the man. No longer idolizing him but Peter spoke almost as if Tony were his father.

“He was the dad I never had. I’ve lost so many people in my life, he included, that I wish I weren’t here either. But Tony taught me to look past my own selfish needs and give in to the needs of the people around me. They care. I cared for Tony and whether or not he knew that doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because  _you_   _took him from me_.” Peter let a single tear fall.

It moved mountains and Steve was able to realize just how much pain he had put the person he claimed to have been friends with, through. That immeasurable amount was unforgivable.


	8. Team Protect Tony Stark. Together - Winterfalcon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none. Bucky and Sam protect Tony. Feelings realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the second week of April!!

As soon as he walked into the room, he felt the tension. It wasn’t like he _wasn’t_ used to the feeling of tension –it had considerably grown in the time since he and Steve’s friends had returned to the new Avengers compound-- he just wasn’t used to it being so condensed and damn-near choking the life out of the room.

Bucky looked around with unease. Tony Stark had just run past him and the newly-pardoned Rogues were all on their feet with a defensive stance. “Y’all are assholes,” he mumbled and turned back around. Sam started to go after him but Steve’s hand stuck out to stop him. “Bucky,” he heard Steve’s voice call but it faded as Bucky walked further away from him.

A few days later, Bucky hadn’t left his room and it was clear the Steve was ready to tear down his room door. “Bucky. Come on man. You have to come out of there at some point.” Bucky sighed and tuned Steve’s voice out. However, thirty minutes later, Sam was at his door.

“Hey, Bucky. Look, I don’t know what the problem is but I guess I understand how you feel right now.” It sounded like Sam slid to the floor and something stirred inside of Bucky at Sam’s voice, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Sam continued to speak in a much quieter tone, “I see how they’ve been treating him. It’s not fair and you’re the one person who had to stop talking for me to realize it.

“It’s gotten worse Bucky. They’ve been treating Tony so much worse and I just want to punch every single one of them in the face.” Bucky stood up from his bed and walked to his door. He opened it and quickly ushered Sam into his room. Closing the door and facing Sam, Bucky spoke, “What the hell do mean ‘it’s gotten worse.’” Sam looked at the floor. “Clint’s been saying more aggressive shit. Steve’s been passive-aggressive. Natasha’s been nonchalant but _Wanda_. She’s been fucking with him. He can’t even stay in the room when he sees her. I love Steve but this can’t keep going on.”

Bucky paced the floor and the soldier in him was raging. “So you mean to tell me, Steve has been letting that Hydra bitch inside his head? Letting her and Clint do and say whatever the fuck they want. And he has the goddamn nerve to show up at my door _begging_ me to come out. _I’ll fucking make him wish he never asked to come here,"_ Bucky said but Sam could tell that the Winter Soldier was slipping to the surface. He stood on his feet and faced Bucky.

“Hey man. You gotta calm down.” Sam grabbed Bucky’s elbows and looked into his eyes. Bucky sharply inhaled at the contact and Sam wondered why he felt a little bit warmer when he and Bucky touched. “I know you feel protective over Tony but you can’t let the Winter Soldier come out.” an unspoken _yet_ sat between the two of them and Bucky nodded.

They both slid to the floor and began planning a way to get Steve’s friends to stop being such dick bags to Tony.

 

~~

 

Three days later, Bucky stepped out of his room. Sam had been visiting his room every night after Steve left and updating him on how the day was for Tony. When Bucky walked into the Common Room, all action stopped.

Steve, Natasha, Wanda, and Clint were all sitting on the couch watching a movie as if nothing had ever changed. Sam was downstairs making sure that Tony only came out of his lab if he _desperately_ needed to. Bucky glared at the people sitting in front of him. “Bucky,” Steve breathed and stood. He walked around the couch and attempted to give Bucky a hug but Bucky took two steps back.

“Don’t touch me,” he said. His voice was dangerously low in order to give the illusion that the Soldier had come to the surface. “Bucky. Hey man. It’s me, Steve. I’m your best friend.” Steve tried to smile and Bucky wanted to scream in his face s _o was Tony._ “Are you?” He inquired instead and his head leaned the slightest bit to his left and Steve’s face shadowed with shock. “What do you mean? Of course, I’m your best friend.” Bucky chuckled darkly.

“Hey stop that birdy. I told you I needed to come up here,” Tony’s voice made its way to Bucky’s ears and everyone in the room turned to the source. Sam stood behind Tony shaking his head with a bit of fondness behind the action. He looked at Bucky and winked. Bucky smirked in response. “What do you want _Stark?”_ Wanda asked and the soldier vowed to rip her to shreds first. “Oh. I just wanted a snack. I’ll only be a moment,” the genius responded. His voice never wavered but his hands did.

Bucky dully noted that Natasha seemed to be in a defensive stance. Clint’s face had automatically scrunched up and Wanda’s hands were glowing red. “Why? You usually go days without food,” the witch continued. Bucky hardened his glare in her direction. Tony looked at her for a moment and continued on his quest for a snack as he frantically moved around the kitchen. Sam walked over to stand by Bucky. Tony looked at the two of them and smiled softly. Bucky’s eyebrows raised at the look he gave them. It was reminiscent of the look older people give young couples in love. _Huh, I guess_ _I do like Sam a bit._ Bucky’s eyes grew in size as he admitted to himself something he had been trying to ignore since that first night Sam came to his room. He watched Tony smirk at his facial expression and he stuck out his tongue childishly. Tony laughed and grabbed a juice from the fridge. His bread popped from the toaster.

“You really move slow Stark,” Natasha drawled. One of Bucky’s eyebrows flew up and his fist clenched at his side. “Really, Natalia?” The soldier’s tone slipped through and her eyes darted to him. “What do you care?”

“I care that you have all been treating this man like absolute shit since you arrived here. He has made sure you received your basic needs _and_ more and you still shit all over his name and property.” Sam cut in, “Not to mention the blatant disregard for his _clear_ PTSD. But he’s supposed to be Iron Man right. Iron Man – recommended. Tony Stark – not? Isn’t that what your report said, Romanoff?” Bucky smirked and his hand twitched to touch Sam’s slightly. Sam’s hand did the same in response.

“So? It doesn't change anything that happened about the Accords.” “That we’re all going to sign anyway? What I’m hearing is that there was no reason behind leaving Tony to _die_ in the cold,” Bucky fiercely countered. Natalia, along with Clint, Wanda, and Sam, was shocked to hear that. Tony looked up at Bucky in fear and shook his head ferociously. Bucky sighed and agreed he would calm it down since everyone didn’t know what happened in Siberia.

“I want all of you, and that includes you, Steve, to know that Sam and I will no longer tolerate your treatment of Tony. If anything and I mean _anything_ happens to him, I will make sure to have it handled by the Winter Soldier _himself_ ,” Bucky finalized and he and Sam walked toward the elevator that Tony was waiting on. The three men stepped into it and did not speak a word until they reached Tony’s lab.

“Thank you?” Tony said with a questioning tone. “We were just sick of them treating you like crap.” “Okay so now that my problems are out of the way,” Tony started and went to his workbench with his food. Sam and Bucky sat on a couch not too far away from Tony –clearly a seat for Rhodey since he and Tony spent most of their time down here away from the other Avengers. “Let’s talk about you two.”

Sam tried to splutter up some bullshit excuse and Bucky just smiled beside him. Tony’s eyebrows rose. “You two clearly like each other,” Tony spoke as he ate his chips and swirled around in his swivel chair. “So go on a date,” he finished. “Did Rhodes say you could boss around other people’s relationships?” Bucky smartly asked.

Tony laughed. “Honey bear knows nothing but you two are so painstakingly obvious I want to gauge my eyes out.” Sam was literally a blubbering mess and Bucky thought it was adorable.

“Tony?” James Rhodes called from the door to the lab. “Have fun! But not too much fun!” He said and stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth before running to his boyfriend. “Rhodey!” He screamed happily and they left Sam and Bucky alone in the workshop.

“Was he right?” Sam asked and Bucky shrugged. “On my behalf, yes. Yours. I have no idea.” Sam closed his eyes and carefully let out a breath. “Yea. Yea he was right. I like you. More than I thought I would.” “Good. Then Sam Wilson would you mind doing this ol’ fella a favor and go on a date?”

Sam laughed and stood. “Only if that ‘ol’ fella’ is paying. Some of us are working paycheck to paycheck.” Sam cheekily smiled. Bucky laughed and he and Sam left the lab to start a new chapter of their lives.

 _Thanks, Tony,_ was a collective thought running through both of their minds.


	9. "Stop being so cute" - Ironhusbands drabble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: none. drabble   
> This was requested on my Tumblr.   
> Enjoy!

Tony and Rhodey were at a professional event together. (For once because Don’t Ask Don’t Tell had taken _so much_ out of their relationship that when it was repealed they did damn-near _everything_ together.) This particular event was for one of the Stark Industries funded charities. Tony had been invited and told to bring a plus one. Of course his plus one would be none other than his husband, James Rhodes.

They had done a pretty good job keeping their relationship a secret during DADT but that didn’t stop them from being as open about it as possible when it ended. The day they heard it was repealed, Tony had already had his lawyer on the line discussing their marriage in New York. Now, they were happily together with two years of marriage and more than 20 years dating behind their belt.

“I’m tired,” Tony whined as his head rested on Rhodey’s shoulder. He lifted his head and looked into Rhodey’s eyes and Rhodey was smiling at him. “Stop smiling at me like that.” Tony pouted and continued to dance with Rhodes.

“ **Stop being so cute,** ” Rhodey countered. Tony gasped comically. “I am not _cute._ I am hot. Forbes said I was in their top 20 sexiest men of the year.” Rhodey laughed and Tony’s put returned. “You’re mean.” “Not mean. I’m telling the truth. You’re cute.”

Tony huffed and walked off the dance floor. Rhodey laughed once more and followed behind his drama-queen husband. They walked over to the bar and Tony asked for a drink while Rhodes asked for a water. “Party pooper.”

Rhodey smirked and replied, “Yeah well I’m the one driving your cute ass home.”

 


	10. First line prompt: "We're going to freeze to death!" - Starkquill

“We’re going to freeze to death!” Tony yelled and Peter laughed at him. “Wouldn’t be the first time on either of our parts.” Tony glared at him and walked out of the room to go fix the temperature of his room because _Peter goddamn Quill_ thought it was nice to set the room temperature to below 70 degrees in the middle of winter. “I hate you, Quill!” Tony yelled when his feet touched the freezing hall floor.

 

Peter continued to laugh and Tony wanted to punch him in the face for disrupting his beauty rest. “You love me!” Peter sing-song-ed and Tony’s angry face broke into a small smile as he switched the temperature to 74 degrees. “I do, but the next time _you_ change the temperature I will make sure you sleep in your damn ship for a week,” Tony said as he walked back into the room and walked to his drawer to grab a pair of pajama pants. Peter’s hand touched his heart as his face took on a mock-hurt expression.

 

“Oh boo hoo,” Tony said and climbed into his side of the bed. Peter pouted before he got back under the covers and tried to pull Tony close. Tony shrugged him off. “Tony. Come on,” he said and Tony huffed. “No,” Tony protested. Peter sighed and put his head back on his pillow. “Goodnight, Tony.”

 

The next morning, Peter awoke to Tony’s warmth on his stomach. He smiled softly as the events from last night replayed in his head. He saw how the sheets had been discarded in the night because of the heat and instead Tony was sporting a white tank top and a pair of Peter’s shorts. _He woke up during the night. Why?_ Peter asked himself before he slid from under Tony and went to the bathroom.

 

“Who said you could leave?” Tony groggy voice sounded in the room. Peter smiled to himself before he walked back to the doorway and looked at Tony. “Not you,” he responded and Tony rolled over so his back was facing Peter. “You suck,” his muffled voice came from the pillow his face was in.

 

“Sure I do.” Peter’s smile softened and he went to carry out his business to get ready for the day.


	11. I'll Catch You if You Fall - Stony

“Tony!” Steve yelled as Tony took a nasty hit from the villain of the week. It wasn’t uncommon for petty villainy actions to happen but this time only Steve and Tony were available as the other Avengers were recovering from a previous mission.

 

“Steve!” Tony screamed as his suit power started to malfunction and he found himself between falling and holding himself up. Steve frantically looked around and saw the authorities had arrived and were able to handle most of the situation on the ground. It was the air support that was failing. Thinking on his feet, Steve ran as fast as he could to be under Tony and catch him before he hit the ground.

 

“Umph,” Tony let out when he landed in his boyfriend’s arms. “Hey,” he said. Steve let him down on the concrete and pulled the face mask off. “Are you alright?” He asked, his voice full of worry. “I’m fine.” Tony tried to stand as he grumbled his response but found the suit to be a dead weight. “Jarvis?” He asked and received a response in his com.

 

“Suit’s down for two minutes. Three tops. Jarvis is trying to get her back online.” Steve sighed and looked at his reckless-idiot boyfriend. “You worry too much, Cap.” “I have to when my boyfriend’s life is on the line. I don’t think I’d know what to do without him.”

 

“You have the rest of the team,” Tony responded with his trademark cheeky smile. “They don’t compare to you, shellhead.” Tony’s smile only grew and within moments his suit was powered back to life. “You’ll need this,” Steve said and handed him his faceplate. “All I need is you Mr. Star-spangled-man-with-a-plan.”

 

“Tony!” Steve yelled and Tony laughed as he flew into the air.

 


	12. No More - Winteriron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No warnings.  
> Enjoy!

“He wasn’t trying to kill us!” Bucky yelled at Steve as they stood in his hospital room in Wakanda. “You don’t know that,” Steve weakly said back. “Oh really? Because that thing in his chest could _only_ get rid of my arm,” He said with sarcasm dripping from his voice. “He could have killed the both of us with that thing!”

 

“Bucky. He wanted the both of us dead and he was trying to kill us. Tony Stark is _not_ someone you want to live with,” Steve spoke firmly. Bucky groaned and pulled at the ends of his hair. “You _don’t_ get it. You lived with him for 4 _year_ _s. B_ _efore_ all of this shit ever happened. If anything, you should know him _ten times_ better than I do. If you knew him _at all,_ you would fucking know he wasn’t going to kill us! He had every goddamn right to -had the _chance_ to. But he didn’t.” Bucky frowned when Steve clearly wasn’t going to change his mind.

 

“You know what? I don’ give a damn what you’re gonna say. ‘m goin’ to New York whether you like it or not,” He said as he let some of his Brooklyn drawl slide through to show his frustration. Steve stared at him. “Bucky. You can’t. I need you here.” “No, you don’t, Stevie. You have your other friends. They know you _way_ better than I do.”

 

Bucky had been planning to leave for New York since Tony Stark had offered him the chance to try his B.A.R.F. therapy hands-on. T’Challa –whom Bucky had grown very close to-- highly recommended it and to Bucky, it was the perfect way to get away from Steve and his friends. He loved Steve, he really did, but talking to him was the equivalent to talking to a brick wall. He had approached Steve in hopes to tell him about his plan to leave Wakanda but Steve automatically shut it down because _Stark already tried to kill us once. There’s no telling what he’ll do to you if you’re alone._ Bucky wanted to punch him in the face. Repeatedly. With a hammer.

 

When Bucky arrived at Stark Tower 3 days later, he was blown away by how much New York had changed. Of course, he had _seen_ it all but that was through the eyes of the Winter Soldier. Right now, at this moment, he was seeing New York through the eyes of _Bucky Barnes._ He smiled to himself and stepped back when a sleek black truck pulled in front of him. “Get in,” the driver spoke and Bucky opened the back door, threw his duffle in, and climbed in after it. In thirty minutes, he was pulling into the (apparently, new) Avengers Compound.

 

He stepped out of the vehicle and looked around like a kid who had never been out of his home state. He saw a group of teens running around on the lawn as a group of adults appeared to be having lunch outside the compound. “Wow,” he whispered and the driver of the vehicle he was in, spoke, “Come on.”

 

Bucky, with his duffle bag, hurriedly followed behind the man. They entered the compound and walked up to the receptionist desk. “We’re looking for Mr. Stark.” The receptionist picked up a phone and spoke, “Jarvis tell Mr. Stark Happy is down here with his guest.”

 

“Go sit.” ‘Happy’ directed Bucky to a near-by chair and Bucky sat with his bag in his lap. His flesh hand began to drum a random pattern on the arm of the chair out of nervousness and Bucky willed it to stop.

 

He wasn’t waiting for five minutes when Tony Stark, in all his goatee glory, stepped out of the elevator to Bucky’s right. “Happy!” He shouted at the man and gave him a hug. “Hey Boss,” ‘Happy’ responded. “Please tell me you didn’t scare Mr. Barnes here. You’re not giving him therapy Happy. I am.” Bucky stood when Mr. Stark spoke and Happy rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Got ya, boss.” Happy left a moment later.

 

“Well, Mr. Barnes. It seems we have to be reacquainted because the last time we saw each other, well you know how that went.” “Why are you helping me?” Bucky asked.

 

“Because I’m not an evil person Mr. Barnes. I may not know what it’s like to have your mind ripped from you, but I do know that I have come to terms with the fact that it wasn’t actually _you_ that killed my parents. I was just _so pissed_ that Steve had kept that from me. It was something I, more than he, deserved to know.”

 

Bucky studied the man standing next to him carefully. “You aren’t _angry?” “No._ Believe me, I tried to be. I couldn’t bring myself to hate you because it wasn’t you. That’s why I want to help. I want to return Steve’s old buddy James Barnes, back to him.” Bucky snarled at the mention of Steve. “Whoa partner. Something up between you and America?” “We’re not exactly on _speaking_ terms right now. He’s being an inconsiderate asshole so,” he shrugged and allowed the rest to be left up to Tony’s wild imagination.

 

“Well then…. To get us started,” Tony tried to cut the tension between them and Bucky laughed. “I’m Tony. Please don’t call me Mr. Stark. That’s my dad. What do I call you?” Bucky pondered the question and settled on, “James.”

 

“James. I like it. Well, James, you and I are going to have to get accommodated until we start your therapy.”

 

~~

 

“...грузовой вагон,” Tony finished recited the trigger words. Bucky stared at Tony in fear. “Do you feel anything weird?” Bucky shook his head. They waited for thirty minutes, in which Tony had said them three more times, and when nothing happened, Tony smiled. “You’re free!” He yelled and Bucky smiled from his spot in the holding chair. It was the same chair he had been in when Helmut Zemo had recited the words a little over a year ago, except this time there was no glass cylinder restricting his contact with Tony. “He’s actually gone,” Bucky whispered as Tony unstrapped him from the chair. Bucky looked at Tony with tears in his eyes.

 

“Hey, you know I’m not that good with emotions. Stop it,” Tony said jokingly and lightly slapped Bucky’s shoulder. Bucky suddenly started sobbing into his hands and Tony immediately pulled him into a hug. “Hey. You’re fine. He’s gone. You’re going to be okay. Shh,” Tony soothed and Bucky soon stopped crying.

 

“You’ve done so much for me. How can I ever repay you?” Don’t you worry your pretty little head over that,” Tony said and tapped Bucky’s head. He wiped away some of Bucky’s straggling tears. “But I think a coffee date would be sufficient enough payment.”

 

Bucky smiled in agreement.

 


	13. First Line Prompt: "Where are you taking me?" -Sciencebros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none bad. Deals with the impact of aou on Sokovia. Tony forgets their anniversary because of course. He’s too cute, but he’s also emotional

“Where are you taking me?” Tony asked Bruce as they headed to a mysterious place. Tony was able to tell that they were currently on a plane. To where he had no idea. “If I have to say it again Tony, I swear I’ll duck tape your mouth shut,” Bruce complained from somewhere to Tony’s left and if he could, he would have rolled his eyes. “Sure, Bruce. Leave me out of the loop.” His arms folded around himself as he continued, “Everyone seems to,” he mumbled and Bruce’s heart began to ache. This man had been through so much and did not deserve any of the pain he had been put through. There was no explanation or justification for what everyone had put him through in the years following New York and, currently, the months following the Battle of Sokovia.

 

“Oh hush,” Bruce spoke softly and his hand found its way into one of Tony’s that were crossed over his chest. Tony’s hand curled around Bruce’s and his other hand began to feel where Bruce’s body was so that he could lay on him. “Really?” Bruce chuckled when Tony’s head was tentatively placed on his shoulder. “Shh. You made me do this so the least I can do is sleep.”

 

Bruce had been planning on bringing Tony back to Sokovia. He knew that it would cause some more psychological trauma to rise to the surface but he didn’t want to show Tony the chaos and disaster. He wanted to show Tony the continuous relief aids that were being provided throughout the city. He wanted to show Tony that even with the destruction they caused, there were some more delightful things to look forward to.

 

3 hours later, Tony and Bruce had reached their landing point. From there, they switched from plane to truck and Tony was growing more anxious by the second. Bruce felt he was going to have to dye his hair gray if all of it wasn’t gray before this ended. “Are we there yet?” Tony asked for the ten thousandth time and Bruce groaned. “Almost,” was Bruce’s simple response. Tony pouted and immediately his leg started to bounce once more. Bruce rolled his eyes. “You’re worse than a kid on a ten-hour road trip.” “Well sorry. I’ve had a blindfold on my face for longer than usual. You’re lucky I’m not having a panic attack.” Bruce cringed at the language and spoke no more.

 

When they arrived at their destination, Tony felt the air shift in the vehicle. There was some thickness there that wasn’t present as they drove over. “Bruce. Where are we?” Tony’s voice was void of all jokes. “Tony. Don’t get mad okay?” “Bruce,” Tony’s voice warned with a bit of fear present.

 

They stepped out of the vehicle and Bruce looked around at all of the construction work that was being done and all of the people that were doing work to better this particular neighborhood. “Before you take the mask off, I want you to know that this was entirely my decision and if you want to leave the jet is on standby.” Tony nodded hesitantly and Bruce’s hands found their way to the back of Tony’s head where he untied the cloth that was covering Tony’s beautiful eyes. Blinking rapidly for a moment, Tony’s face scrunched up adorably and Bruce would have cooed had the moment been appropriate.

 

When he was able to see, Tony looked around him. There were several adults moving bricks under the rubble of a building. There was a group of kids who were searching through broken concrete for something that he was unsure they would be able to find. There were authorities everywhere –helping move the rubble and making sure any civilians within the vicinity that were hurt, were tended to. When he faced Bruce again, Tony’s eyes shone with unshed tears in them. “Bruce,” he whispered and Bruce’s heart broke. “We don’t always cause destruction Tony,” Bruce said and raised his hand in the direction of three men who were helping a pregnant woman out of the area. “This. This is powerful Bruce.” Tony started and continued, “we have to help,” he said and began rolling up his sleeves. Bruce followed suit and by the end of the day, the two of them had done a lot to help with the cleanup of the town.

 

“See what we can do?” Bruce said as they sat in a circle with a group of other Sokovians. It wasn’t easy, but they did find someone that could translate the native language spoken to English. Tony looked around and took in the sight of these people eating, laughing with, and _loving_ each other despite all of the tragedy that probably plagued their minds. Tony’s hand found Bruce’s and he responded, “Yeah but seeing these people like this –they’re stronger than most of the people on this planet. They may have a chance to rebuild their lives because they put _effort_ into it. I’m so glad we were able to be part of this.”

 

“Happy anniversary, Tony,” Bruce declared and Tony sat bone straight.

 

“Oops,” he said innocently and Bruce laughed. “Of course. Nothing ever changes.”

 


	14. First Line Prompt: "It Was Supposed To Be Just For One Night." - Ironpanther

It was supposed to be just for one night. Tony had been home from Siberia for a month and had been on the verge of drinking again when he decided to call Rhodey. Except he hadn’t called  _Rhodey_. The person that answered the phone was T’Challa and Tony profoundly apologized for disrupting his day. “Hello,” T’Challa had answered. “King T’Challa? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to call you. I’ll just go now,” Tony said and was sniffing erratically because of his inability to keep his tears at bay. “No. There was a reason you called me Mr. Stark.”

 

“It was an accident. I thought I was calling Rhodey.” Tony wanted to bang his head against the wall.  _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._ “So I am not a formidable substitute for Mr. Rhodes?” T’Challa asked and Tony wanted to bang his head into a  _brick_  wall. “Look. I’m sorry for calling. This’ll never happen again,” Tony tried to finalize but T’Challa was ever persistent. “No. I would like to know why you called. You seem to be in distress. If it’s only one night that you have to tell me, so be it.”

 

Tony sighed. “Just one night?” He asked and heard T’Challa hum in agreement. “I’ve had enough,” Tony began. “There’s been so much that has happened since Siberia and I know I’ve only been home for a month but I have the arc reactor back and I can’t stop having nightmares of Steve banging his shield into it. He and Barnes should have just killed me. It would have made so much shit in my life so much easier.” Tony paused and continued, “But there’s this kid that I’m sort of taking care of but he is so nice and happy and I don’t want to take away his innocence so I’m keeping him at arm's length but it’s so  _draining._ The kid is such a refresher though. He brings me coffee and I help him with his math homework. But it really sucks because I can tell he knows there is something is wrong with me but he’s just a  _teenager._ The last thing I want to do is drag a child into something he has no business being in. All I want to do is protect him. He deserves that from me at least.

 

“And then there’s fucking Ross who won’t leave me the hell alone because he thinks I know where the Rogue Avengers are, which I do but I won’t expose you like that, and he has been harassing me to get that information for him. He sent me to the raft the first week I got out of the hospital. He- he is such an evil person.” T’Challa noted the way his voice faltered at the last sentence and wondered what could have happened to make Tony so dysfunctional.

 

“Well, how do you feel after letting that out?” T’Challa asked softly. He heard a noisy breath from Tony on the other end of his line and waited for his response. “I feel like I need to do that more often.” “Indeed,” T’Challa said and knew Tony was referring to a therapist instead of himself.

 

However, he received another one of those calls two weeks later while he was in Shuri’s lab going over replacements for Mr. Barnes’ arm.

 

T’Challa knew it was dark in America so the call meant Tony must have had a nightmare. “Hello,” his accented voice answered the phone. “T’Challa. Hi,” Tony’s breathless tone filled T’Challa’s ear.

 

“Why so sudden? I thought we agreed for just one night?” “Yeah well, that would have worked if I hadn’t been having nightmares of Captain America trying to kill me for the past week. Can you just talk about something? I like hearing your voice.,” Tony states and T’Challa softly smiled as he walked through the palace halls. “Well, I don’t know if you know but the Accords are officially in their stage of development where amendments can be proposed.” A surprised squeaked emerged from Tony and T’Challa could imagine the other man smiling. “When did the word reach you? Was I asleep?” “Well, I just found out that the first amendment can be passed about two hours ago? So yes. You may have been asleep.”

 

“Aw man. That’s great news.” T’Challa could hear Tony’s smile and wondered if this is what falling in love felt like. This was only their second private engagement but T’Challa felt as if he had known Tony forever.

 

That feeling carried the both of them through the next year as they sorted through amendments for the Accords, got Thaddeus Ross put in jail, and (on Tony’s part more so than T’Challa’s) got presidential pardons for the former Avengers and Barnes.

 

Exactly one year after the first call, Tony called T’Challa. “Please tell me you’re not purposefully waking up in the middle of the night just to call me,” T’Challa answered and Tony laughed. “No kit kat. I actually couldn’t sleep tonight. Nerves, I think, but they’re coming home tomorrow and I genuinely don’t know how to feel.”

 

T’Challa had reached his office and sat behind his desk. Leaning back, T’Challa asked, “Well tell me how you  _think_ you feel.” “I know I should feel like my job is done, but I have to deal with them for those first 30 days that they’re back and I honestly don’t want that pressure weighing me down. I’ve been doing good. That’s what Rhodey and Pepper say and Rhodey suspects it’s because of you. I just don’t know if I’m emotionally stable to handle those assholes. Barnes maybe, but everyone else? I doubt it.” T’Challa smiled when Tony mentioned what Pepper and Rhodey thought about him.

 

In all honesty, he had grown to be infatuated with Tony in this year and if he had to admit it to anyone, he genuinely liked the man and wouldn’t mind taking him on a date. ( _But that would be entirely inappropriate considering the circumstances.)_

 

“Well, I think you should relax. I would say start by putting down whatever it is your working on. Stepping out of your lab and going to your kitchen.” T’Challa’s voice was soft as he spoke. He heard a disgruntled sigh but it seemed as if Tony had begun to follow his instructions. On his 2nd kimoyo bead, T’Challa asked Jarvis to set Tony’s alarm to 8:30 am considering it was 2:45 am in America.

 

“Are you there?” He asked and Tony responded with an affirmative. “Grab a glass of cold water and go to bed,” T’Challa said and Tony laughed. “Wow. Thanks for tricking me.” T’Challa smiled. “Not tricking more than it is making sure you’re not handling the others without sleep.”

 

“Thanks, T’Challa. Really,” Tony admitted softly. T’Challa smiled sadly. “I care about you, Tony.” Tony smiled. “Goodnight,” Tony said and ended the call when T’Challa said the same.

 

Two days after the Rogue Avengers had returned to the Avengers Compound, T’Challa and Shuri showed up as well. Tony laughed and hugged them both. “What are you doing here?” He asked with excitement in his voice. “What we can’t come see the King’s boyfriend?” Shuri said smugly and T’Challa froze. Tony looked at T’Challa thoughtfully before shrugging it off.  _We’ll talk about_ that _later._

 

When the Rogues saw T’Challa, they were all smiles and “Good to see a familiar face.” Tony watched T’Challa’s willpower to prevent his eyes from rolling grow. Tony’s face, however, had become a stoic mask. “Actually, Shuri inquired she needed to be here for a few days to monitor Mr. Barnes’ arm and psychological progress.” Bucky visibly relaxed at that and if he weren’t around the others who would perceive him as weak, Tony’s face would have been sympathetic.

“I’ll show you down to my lab,” Tony said as if T’Challa and Shuri hadn’t seen the entire compound before. He really didn’t want the others to suspect anything, though.

 

As Tony, Shuri, and Bucky made their way downstairs, T’Challa stayed behind and eyed the other Avengers closely. They all seemed to perceive him as a  _friend._ T’Challa had very few friends and he definitely did not consider these people, who betrayed their own  _friend_ , friends of his.

 

“Hey, T’Challa. How you been, man?” Barton asked. “I’ve been well Mr. Barton. How about yourselves?” They all shrugged. “Could be better,” Mr. Wilson spoke up and Rogers agreed. “It’s good to be home but it’s nothing like Wakanda.” T’Challa curtly nodded and looked up when Tony came running through the elevator back into the entrance-way. His face deadpanned on T’Challa. He walked over to T’Challa and grabbed his wrist. “Let’s go, King,” he said while dragging T’Challa out of the room, leaving the other Avengers standing there confused.

 

“You can’t do that,” Tony said when they were in the elevator and T’Challa huffed. “Whatever,” he said and Tony looked at him before laughing the hardest he had laughed since T’Challa arrived and a smile broke through the King’s face. When Tony finished laughing he intensely looked into T’Challa’s eyes and smiled. “We need to talk Mr. Kit Kat.”

 

T’Challa’s nerves, for the first time in a while, shot through the roof.

 

When they reached the lab, Shuri and Bucky were laughing about something that Tony and T’Challa could only guess was between them. “He’s stolen my sister from me,” T’Challa jokingly admitted. Tony laughed and patted his shoulder. “Tony stole you from me, brother!” Shuri yelled and Tony laughed even harder. Bucky just stood there lost for a moment before Shuri whispered something into his ear to which he softly smiled and said, “I approve if she does.”

 

T’Challa, again, froze in his spot and Tony  _couldn’t stop_ laughing. “Ah man. You all are hilarious. Barnes. Welcome to the family,” Tony said and Bucky’s eyes grew wide. Shuri smiled softly and looked down at her wrist when one of her kimoyo beads lit up. “Okoye!” She greeted and walked to one of the more private sections of the lab to speak with the General.

 

Later that night, when everyone had fallen asleep, T’Challa found himself in Tony’s lab. “Jet lag?” Tony asked when he looked up and saw the Wakandan King at his door. T’Challa nodded and, in all his glory, walked over to sit on the couch next to Tony’s workbench. “How are you?” T’Challa asked.

 

“Much better now that you and Shuri are here. What about you?” Tony responded and turned to direct his attention to T’Challa. “Very well.”

 

“Can we talk?” Tony asked diverting his eyes to T’Challa’s feet. “About?” “What Shuri said today. I know I feel something between us T’Challa. I don’t know if you do, but I  _know_ there’s something there and I’ve been ignoring my feelings too much in my life to let something so right pass me by.” T’Challa studied Tony for a moment before he stood and walked over to Tony. He lifted Tony’s head from his chin so that Tony had no choice but to look at T’Challa.

 

“Of course I feel something for you, Tony. I like you. A lot,” T’Challa breathed and Tony’s eyes closed as he breathed a relieved sigh. T’Challa leaned down to place a feather-light kiss on Tony’s forehead.

 

“You were there for me at my lowest point. Thank you,” Tony said and opened his beautiful brown eyes.

 

T’Challa responded, “I will be there for you at your highest points as well, my love.”


	15. Happy Birthday, Kid - Dad!Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ship: Stony (although not the main focus) which leads to Superfamily
> 
> Also, bear with me, I'm trying a new spacing on these because the spacing is different from Tumblr. Thanks!

Tony was sitting on his bed looking at a picture of Peter from when he was a kid. There was a bit of a nostalgic feeling behind the photo of a 7-year-old Peter whom Tony had adopted when he was 4. Now, as Steve, Tony, and Peter prepared to celebrate Peter’s 16th birthday, Tony couldn't help but look back on how the past 12 years of his life had been.

 

_Memory 1 – Peter 5 years old_

 

“ _'ony!” Peter yelled at Tony when he walked into the living room of the Malibu mansion. “Hey, Peter!” The smile that adorned Tony's face had been one that had been a constant presence since Peter had arrived into his life. “How are you, buddy?” He asked and sat down on the couch next to the 15-year-old babysitter. It wasn't a secret that Tony Stark had adopted a son and since he wanted his son to have the most normal life possible considering his line of work, Tony decided to let him have a babysitter instead of a nanny. Having a nanny was something Tony had experienced as a result of his parents’ disregard of his presence --he didn't want Peter to experience that at all._

 

_Peter was to be enrolled in a private school until he was in middle school and he was definitely allowed to be as mechanical as he wanted to._

 

_The babysitter, who had been Tony’s go to for a couple of months, looked at them fondly and Peter walked around to his adopted father. “Good! Mary said that when you come home, we play with toys.” The missing teeth in the boy's mouth made Mary’s smile grow. “Well, Mary’s right. Because guess what?” Tony asked when Peter climbed into his lap. “Wha?” Peter clapped and Tony grabbed his hands. “It's someone's birthday tomorrow.” Peter's mouth formed into an ‘o’ shape and Tony’s matching contemplative expression caused Mary to smile softly and start putting her things away so she could leave._

 

“ _Bye Mr. Stark. Bye Peter!” She said and both males responded, “Bye Mary!”_

 

Tony smiled at the memory of Peter and his favorite babysitter who would be attending his party. Peter absolutely adored Mary and talked to her about literally anything and Tony was glad that his son had made friends he could trust and depend on.

 

_Memory 2 – 12 years old_

 

_Peter huffed as he walked into the living room of the home Tony had purchased upon moving back to New York when Peter turned 9. “How was your day?” Tony asked from the kitchen._

 

“ _I don't want to talk about it,” Peter mumbled and threw his backpack on the couch before sluggishly walking to his room. A frown found its way onto Tony’s face and he decided he would wait to approach Peter on the matter._

 

“ _Sir, young sir has requested no one enter his room for the rest of the night. That, unfortunately, includes you,” JARVIS inquired and Tony took a step back from the door he had previously been getting ready to open. “J, is something wrong?”_

 

“ _No, sir. It does seem that young sir is having a 'teenage moment.’” Tony sighed and walked away._

 

“ _Well you're in a better mood,” Tony greeted Peter the next morning. Peter looked up at his dad and sighed. Peter took a seat at the kitchen table and Tony placed a plate of breakfast in front of him._

 

“ _What's up squirt?” “It's nothing really.”_

 

“ _If it was nothing, you wouldn't have been in such a mood yesterday,” Tony said and Peter looked somewhat guilty. “It's school. There's this kid that's bullying me but it's no big deal I promise,” Peter reassured and Tony shook his head._

 

“ _No. I'm going up there and we’re going to have a detailed discussion about this.” “Dad, no.”_

 

_Tony glared and Peter sighed and they both got ready for the day ahead._

 

Tony sighed at that memory. The kid hadn't stopped bullying his son all together but he did lessen the impact he had on Peter’s mental health.

 

Tony looked at another picture on his dresser. It was the first picture Tony took of Steve and Peter —together— shortly after he and Steve started dating.

 

_Memory 3 – 13 years old_

 

“ _Peter!” Tony yelled when Peter slammed the door and threw his backpack on the floor after returning from school one day. “What's the matter?” He asked his son._

 

“What's the matter?” _Peter sarcastically mocked. “What’s the matter is you’ve got a fucking boyfriend and it was supposed to be just_ us. _Nobody was supposed to come between you and me. Now I’m just going to be in the background.”_

 

“ _First, watch your language mister,” Tony scolded and the fire in Peter’s eyes grew. “I am a grown man and I am able to make my own decisions. If you’re so hell-bent on not wanting Steve in our family, so be it, but he will be around Peter. Whether you like it or not, he is an avenger and you’re going to get over this ‘all about me’ phase you’re going through,” Tony paused and looked at Peter._

 

“ _I love you, Peter. I really do. You’re the one thing in my life I feel is_ genuinely right _but I want to be happy for a long time Peter. I want to be happy after you leave off and become a man on your own and I’ve found that happiness with Steve. I don’t know why you hate him so much but if you don’t want me to be with him, then I won’t.” A forlorn look took over Tony’s face as he grabbed his phone and began typing a text to Steve._

 

“ _Don’t.” Peter’s voice cracked with tears as he spoke. Tony looked up at him in confusion. “He makes you happy, I can handle that.”_

 

_The next day, Peter and Tony visited the tower where all the other Avengers had gathered for a weekly ‘team’ day. Tony pulled Steve and Peter to the side when he spotted the other man._

“ _Look, I want you to tell him what you think and if this doesn’t end well, my offer stands,” Tony said and pointedly looked at Peter who sheepishly looked at the floor. He proceeded to leave the two gentlemen to sort out their disagreements._

 

_20 minutes later, the two emerged and Tony was standing in their line of sight with his arms folded. “Well?” Steve and Peter smiled and Tony released a breath of relief. “Good because I really didn’t want to break up with him. Now, smile,” Tony said and took the picture of Peter and Steve smiling at him._

 

“Tony?” Steve said and Tony looked up at his boyfriend. Tony sat the framed picture back on his dresser and stood to walk toward his lover. Placing a kiss on Steve’s lips, Tony grabbed Steve’s hand and they both walked out of their room to the common area where everyone was gathered to celebrate.

 

“How are you?” Steve asked and Tony looked at him. “Sentimental. Nostalgic. He’s my boy Steve.” Tony’s face was a mix of happiness and anxiety and Steve stopped them and wrapped his arms around Tony in a hug. “He’ll be fine Tony. He has you.”

 

“You’re awesome,” Tony said and Steve smiled.

 

Everyone was gathered around the island where the food was placed. “J is Peter on his way?” “Yes sir,” Jarvis responded and Tony smiled. The lights dimmed only lightly which caused the red streamers to become more visible under the yellow Christmas lights hanging around them.

 

“Surprise!!” Everyone yelled when Peter walked into the room. He did his best to pretend to be surprised but his spidey senses were damn near perfect and Tony shook his head fondly. “Mary!” Peter yelled and ran to the young woman. “Happy birthday, kid,” she said and ruffled Peter’s hair. Peter scrunched his face and swatted her hand away.

 

It took a couple hours but after the cake had been cut and everyone had eaten, Tony was able to pull Peter aside and give him his personal gift. “Hey, happy birthday kid.” “Thanks, dad,” Peter replied. “I know I’m not the best father-figure but I want you to know that this life we live isn’t always guaranteed and I want you to have something to remember me by if anything were to happen to me.”

 

Peter’s eyes welled up with tears. “Dad no. You- You can’t.” “Peter, I love you and you need to have something to remember me by if that ever happens, okay?” The tears had begun to spill and Peter nodded shakily. Tony handed him a pendant with _Stark family_ engraved into it and when opened, a picture from the first year Peter lived with Tony was on one side and another from Peter’s freshman year homecoming on the other side.

 

“Dad,” Peter’s voice broke and Tony wrapped him in his arms. Peter’s quiet cries soon dissolved as Tony comforted him. “I love you, son.”

 

“I love you too, dad.”


	16. Start Over by Imagine Dragons [Songfic] - Winterfalcon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Angst then fluff
> 
> Author’s note: My plan for week 3 is to have a bunch of song-fics. Fluff or angst (probably mostly fluff but who knows)

_Clench teeth, no words_

 

_Oh this, this is taking its toll_

 

“I know you really love him. I get it. But this is _our_ relationship Bucky. Not Steve and Bucky’s,” Sam said and Bucky huffed. “If you really understood, you’d understand he’s _just_ my best friend. There’s nothing going on between us.”

Sam looked down and inhaled deeply. Letting out his breath, he spoke, “I know that. I _get it_. Y’all are reconnecting. Fine. Go ahead. Do your thing. But if you’re in a fucking relationship, I don’t give a damn about that. I deserve just as much of your time as he does. When you don’t call on date night, what the hell am I supposed to think? Then I find out you’re with _him._ What the fuck Bucky!” Sam’s voice had hardened as he spoke more and Bucky scoffed. “You’re not my damn mom. I don’t need to tell you everything I do or who I’m with at all times.”

 

_Speaking volumes_

 

_Silence screaming over your words_

 

Sam froze at Bucky’s words. _No. But I am your boyfriend,_ he thought and walked away from the metal-armed man. “Sam,” Bucky called but Sam kept walking to their bedroom. He grabbed a bag and stuffed some clothes into it. When he finished, he grabbed his keys and his jacket and left their shared apartment. _I hope you’re happy without me._

 

_I never did you right, I know that_

 

_Too many sleepless nights, I own that_

 

Bucky yelled as Sam walked out of their door. He really fucked up.

That night, he laid in a cold bed that he realized he hadn’t slept with Sam in for more than two weeks. He hadn’t been on a mission or anything, he just hadn’t been coming home during the night because he was spending so much time with Steve.

He realized that every night he had been out, Sam called his phone more than 5 times because he was so worried. Of course, Bucky had listened to the voicemails and had disregarded them for no exact reason. _Steve needs me,_ he thought to himself. _But so does Sam,_ his subconscious countered. He rolled over and screamed into his pillow because it seemed like he couldn’t win.

He couldn’t just choose between the two people he loved most. _But do you really love Sam? You have a funny way of showing it,_ his subconscious taunted. Bucky turned on his back and allowed tears to flow freely down his face.

 

_I said it time and time, I know that_

 

_I wanna try again_

 

The next day, Bucky awoke to a still too empty room that smelled too much like Sam. Grabbing his phone from his nightstand, he called the most memorized number he knew.

“You’ve reached the voicemail of a smooth motherfucker. If you ain’t dying, hang up. Unless you’re Bucky. Then I’ll probably listen.” Bucky laughed sadly as the beep sounded. “Hey, Sam. I,” he paused and ran a hand through his hair. “I fucked up. I really fucked up. I shouldn’t have put Steve before us, but it’s hard to decide between you two when I love the both of you so much. I do love you, Sam,” he declared after a moment. “I really do,” he continued. “Even if you can’t tell, I do. I’ve been a real dick lately and I want to change that. Only if you’ll let me.” He ended the message with that and looked at his phone for a while.

He decided to call Steve next.

“Buck?” Steve answered and Bucky sighed. He took a seat on the edge of his bed before deciding what to say. “Sam left,” he stated simply. “Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?” Steve worriedly asked. Bucky shook his head before replying, “No, I need to figure this out on my own. This is my fault,” he spoke when Steve cut him off. “What do you mean this is your fault? You didn’t do anything to make Sam leave so how is it your fault?”

“Steve just listen. I need to get myself together alone for a few days.” Steve’s frown could be heard through the phone as he spoke, “You sure? I can help if you need me.” “I’m going to do this _alone,_ Steve.”

For two days, Bucky thought over how his relationship with Sam had begun and _why_ they were in a relationship, to begin with. He realized, as he called Sam for the fifth time in three days, Sam and he had something he and Steve didn’t –couldn't-- have. _Pure and unconditional love_.

It wasn’t like they never said they loved each other it was just that Bucky hadn’t said it in so long. Hell, he hadn’t done anything to show he even loved Sam since he and Steve had tried to fall back into their forties-esque rhythm.

 

_Can we start over?_

 

_Before it’s over, over_

 

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry Sam. I shouldn’t have done all those things to you. You didn’t deserve anything I did. Steve and I were just trying to understand each other more and I totally forgot you existed. How you even stayed with me this long is beyond me but I realized that the least I could have done was answer your calls or tell you where I had been going or what I’d been doing. I can’t believe I fucked up something like you Sam. I really don’t deserve you. I really don’t,” his voice wavered as he finished. “I really messed up Sam,” he said as tears spilled down his face and he ended the message.

 

_Cold nights, cold words_

 

_One more lonely, empty hotel room_

 

It had been two weeks since Sam last talked to Bucky and one week since he received his last voicemail from him as well. During those two weeks, Sam started to realize just how much he and Bucky had grown apart since he and Steve started to reconnect. Whenever Sam had planned something for the two of them to do together, Steve had something and Bucky would drop everything to help the man.

Sam didn’t hate Steve. Hell, he held a great deal of respect for what he had endured but that didn’t mean he appreciated the fact that Steve _kept_ taking his boyfriend from him. Sam was clingy, yes, but being deprived of affection for months would drive anyone crazy.

He was laying in a hotel room bed one night, replaying one of Bucky’s voicemails. “Hey, Sam. I,” he paused. “I fucked up. I really fucked up. I shouldn’t have put Steve before us, but it’s hard to decide between you two when I love the both of you so much. I do love you, Sam. I really do,” He paused again and the tension that was in his voice previously was gone as he spoke again. “Even if you can’t tell, I do. I’ve been a real dick lately and I want to change that.”

Sam sighed and looked up at the ceiling. _I don’t know what to do,_ he admitted to himself.

 

_What I’d give to_

 

_Find my way back to you_

 

“I miss him,” Sam admitted to Natasha. She nodded lightly. “Talk to him,” she suggested. “I know but it’s too hard when I know that there’s no chance he’ll even want me. I’m pretty sure he and Steve are conspiring against me or something. I just –I don’t even know anything anymore. I don’t trust him like I used to.” Natasha’s eyebrows furrowed as she thought of the words she was going to have to say carefully.

“Sam. You love Bucky, you’ve told me this yourself, and Bucky spends far too much time talking about you to _not_ love you. You two need to talk to each other about this. I don’t care if I have to call him down here right now and leave you in this room together. You need to do something besides leaving your relationship in this broken state.”

 

_I never did you right, and I know that_

 

_Too many sleepless nights, I own that_

 

Sam thought back to the beginnings of their relationship and realized he should have seen something like this coming. He had damn near done the same thing to Bucky – blatantly ignoring him and things of the sort.

He remembered one time when he came home after a long mission (that wasn’t supposed to be as long as it was but Sam hadn’t bothered to inform Bucky of that) and Bucky was sitting at their kitchen counter with a forlorn look on his face.

“You never tell me anything anymore,” he said softly.

Sam startled at the statement and tossed his bag on the floor before going to their bedroom, ignoring the statement. _He doesn’t know what he’s talking about._

Sam scolded himself for thinking the way he used to because he was now on the receiving end of those same actions and he hated it.

 

_I said it time and time, I know that_

 

_I wanna try again_

 

“Look, I get it, we’re going through a rough patch right now, but I want to at least talk it out. Natasha said we shouldn’t leave our relationship like this and if it comes down to it, I don’t want to leave this relationship at all.” Sam sighed as he spoke on Bucky’s ringtone one night, three weeks after the big fight.

“I still love you.”

 

_Can we start over?_

 

_Before it’s over, over_

 

‘Meet me at our regular coffee shop tomorrow at noon’ The text Bucky sent to Sam read. Sam smiled softly and began to pack his things. Even if this talk went terribly, he really needed to get out of this wretched hotel.

 

_Come alive, come alive, come alive again._

 

“Thanks for meeting me here,” Bucky said as he stood when Sam walked to their table. Bucky had already ordered Sam’s regular and the cup was sitting directly across from Bucky’s own cup.

The outside hustle and bustle of the midday filled their first few minutes of awkward silence.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky softly started. Sam looked up at him in shock. He hadn’t expected Bucky to start the conversation.

“I was treating you like absolute shit --disregarding what was right in front of me. I shouldn’t have. I know saying sorry isn’t going to make up for the damage I’ve done to you but I think you should know that I’ve thought it over in the time you’ve been gone. If you’re willing, I want to make this work again.”

_Can we start over?_

 

_Before it’s over, over_

 

Sam’s eyes had welled up with tears that he refused to let fall. Breathing deeply, he spoke, “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have been an asshole and I should have at least considered the fact that you were trying to reconcile with your friend. I respect that. I just wished you’d made more time for the two of us.”

“And I will,” Bucky said determinedly. Sam chuckled without humor. “I know you will. That’s why I want us to hold off on this for a while. I’m going to be in the background. I’ll let you and Steve catch up and when you need me as a boyfriend, I’ll be there.”

“Absolutely not. I’ve already talked to Steve, he understands that I shouldn’t have been disregarding you in favor of our friendship and he wants me to keep this going. I can’t lose you again Sam. I can’t.” His voice was on the verge of breaking and Sam had to fight back the urge to cry himself as he stood and walked around the table to pull Bucky into a hug.

“Okay. We’ll start over.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's July and I'm still posting these? The response is simple, I suck at battling procrastination and I have a life outside of this (I've been doing a hell of a lot and I'm posting this when I should be sleeping). So, yes, I will finish this and you can expect to see this being updated throughout the summer with no real schedule. :)


	17. I Know That You Know - Leslie Odom Jr. [Songfic] - Ironhusbands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: a bit of homophobia. Fluff. Through the years.  
> Author’s note: My plan for week 3 is to have a bunch of song-fics. Fluff or angst (probably mostly fluff but who knows)

_Life’s a game, but who can play it all alone?_

 

_Every chap should hold a heart that’s all his own_

 

_Love may come, at first sight, they told me_

 

_When I saw you, I knew;_

 

_I had found my only love when I met you_

 

MIT. First day.

Tony’s eyes grazed the room as he sat in a chair on the outskirts of the room. It was orientation day for incoming freshmen and Tony swore he was the youngest person there at 15. Of course, he didn’t _need_ to know that he _was_ , in fact, the youngest person there. However, second to him was James Rhodes.

At 17 years old, James Rhodes knew what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to join the Air Force but he was going to wait until he got his masters from MIT.

It took two months into Tony’s freshman year until he came face to face with James Rhodes and the first thing he, unconsciously, blurted out was, “Why are you so beautiful?” Rhodey, startled and baffled at the question, sighed softly. “And you are?” He asked.

“Your future husband,” Tony bluntly admitted. Rhodey reckoned he heard someone yell “Faggot!” from behind the two of them but he didn’t care.

“Hilarious,” he said as he tried to hide that he didn’t necessarily _disagree_ with that statement.

 

_So, darling, I know that you know_

 

_That I’ll go where you go_

 

“Rhodey!” Tony yelled from where he sat on Rhodey’s dorm bed doing his homework. He had basically moved into Rhodey’s dorm before the end of their freshman year despite Rhodey’s protests that he would wait until Tony was eighteen to make any advances.

Tony knew that was going to only get harder in the next two years.

“What?” Rhodey responded from the bathroom. It took him a moment but he walked out with only boxers and a large U. S. Military shirt on. “You’re hot,” Tony ogled and Rhodey deadpanned. “Okay okay,” he laughed. “Your request for our dorm went through. It’s been approved since we’re in the same year and my case was valid. We’re very close.” Tony winked and Rhodey groaned.

“Stop,” he weakly argued and Tony cheekily smiled.

“So dorm plans?”

 

_I chose you, won’t lose you_

 

_I wish you knew how much I long to hold you_

 

Tony sighed as he worked in the lab of the New York mansion. He was fresh out of his senior year of college and Rhodey had gone straight to the Air Force. Being alone was such a foreign feeling to him after becoming so used to being with Rhodey for the last four years of his life.

Rhodey was his rock and Tony had to admit it to himself --he was lost without him.

Sure, he got the occasional phone call or letter but they were becoming more sporadic with their frequency and Tony couldn’t help but wish Rhodey were beside him.

He supported Rhodey –hell, he would until the day he died-- but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt less when he was away, in fact, it hurt even more.

While he was working, his newest AI system, JARVIS, named after the only father-figure he ever had, alerted him that he had an incoming call from a classified number.

“Hello?” He answered without interest. He expected it to be some stupid company calling him about new plans, but that wasn’t his job, that was his dad’s job. However, he did not expect the huff and joked response, “Sorry. I think I got the wrong number.”

“Rhodey!” “Hey Tony,” he laughed over the line and Tony dropped what he was working on to focus his attention on his boyfriend. They had to keep their relationship a secret of course, but everyone knew Rhodey was seeing _someone._

“I miss you,” Tony whined. Although his voice was playful, the confession was serious. “I miss you too, Tones.” “When are you coming home?”

“Four months minimum. A year max. They need me here, Tony. I love you but this is important to me.”

Tony sighed and looked down at his lap. “I know. I just-- I just wish you were here with me.” “I do too Tony. I wish I was there too.”

 

_This time is my time_

 

_Will soon be goodbye time_

 

“You know I have to leave in two days right?” Rhodey whispered softly. Tony hummed in acknowledgment and turned over in their bed to face his lover. “Yeah.” Rhodey sighed at Tony’s resigned tone.

“We can’t just lay in bed all day Tones.” “I want to be here with you all day.

“I don’t want to say goodbye because I never know if you’re going to come back. When I don’t get any word from you I get anxious and I drink and I shouldn’t, not after what happened with Mom and Dad but I can’t help it. I love you too much to lose you Rhodey.” Tony’s admission caught Rhodey off-guard and he quickly gathered Tony in his arms.

“I love you too Tony. I don’t want to lose you either and I’m so sorry for putting you through all of this pain. You don’t deserve it.”

 

_In starlight, hold me tight;_

 

_With one more little kiss say nighty-night_

 

Rhodey sighed as he looked at Tony who was, for once, peacefully sleeping in their bed. With his duffle bag in hand, he kissed Tony’s forehead and whispered, “I love you,” before leaving for his latest deployment.

 

_Love may come at first sight they told me_

 

_When I saw you I knew_

 

_I had found my only love_

 

_When I met you_

 

Pepper walked into Tony’s lab one evening to see him working on the 1932 Ford Flathead Roadster that belonged to his dad. She didn’t think it an unusual occurrence because he tended to work on this car a lot but she found that sometimes he put off other deadlines to work on the car when he was stressed. Considering the fact that Obie had a pretty strict deadline for a new product looming over Tony’s shoulders, she guessed he was pretty stressed.

“Mr. Stark,” she started and watched with curiosity as he slowly placed the part he was holding on the ground and turned around with movements just as monotone. “Yes, Ms. Potts?”

“I have some paperwork here for you to sign. It’s about a deal with Hammer Industries.” “A deal? Like what?” “Tying the knot on the latest Quantico missile.” “Absolutely not.”

Pepper looked him over once again. His demeanor was unchanging and sluggish. “Are you alright, Mr. Stark?” “I’m stupidly in love.” She was taken aback by that response. Tony Stark, playboy, known for his wild parties and one night stands, in love?

“Well, it seems to me you need to call them.”

“Them is already here,” she heard a voice call and turned around to see Colonel James Rhodes standing behind her. “Honeybear!” Mr. Stark yelled and ran toward the Colonel. Pepper’s shock was evident in that her jaw was wide open. Quickly she collected herself and watched as Mr. Stark immediately relaxed in Rhodes’s presence.

She knew they had known each other for decades but smiled softly because she recognized that they had far better chemistry than she could have ever imagined. _He’s happily in love_ she told herself _and has been for years._

 

_So, darling, I know that you know_

 

_That I’ll go where you go_

 

_I choose you, won’t lose young_

 

_I wish you knew how much I long to hold you_

 

“Aliens have entered New York City.” Rhodey stopped listening after that because it was in _New York._ Tony was in New York which meant he was going to end up doing something stupid.

He kept his eyes glued to the news and when he saw the Iron Man armor going through the portal, his heart dropped. “No. No. No.” Everyone on the plane looked at him curiously but Pepper put an encouraging hand on his shoulder.

He held his breath, praying to any deity out there that they could protect his Tony. When he barely fell through the portal, Rhodey let out a soft breath but kept his eyes on the screen as it looked like Tony was free falling.

Rhodey couldn’t help but let his tears fall freely. “Please don’t be dead,” he whispered to himself but knew it was a false hope.

He had lost the one thing that was most important to him.

Later that night, Rhodey walked into the remnants of Stark Tower and looked around with a heavy heart. He had made love to Tony in this tower. He had confessed his deepest feelings in this tower. He allowed himself to ooze domesticity in this tower. Now that was gone.

He turned around and prepared himself to walk right back out when he heard, “Rhodey?” He spun around and there he was. In all his broken and bruised glory, Tony Stark was standing right in front of him. A sob left his throat as he tumbled forward and into Tony’s arms.

“You’re real?” “I’m real.”

“I thought I lost you,” Rhodey sniffed and Tony’s hand that was rubbing his back stilled before he replied, “I tried to call.” “I know. I’m so sorry I didn’t answer.” Tony led the way to their room and Rhodey, completely worn out, laid in bed while Tony did some more shuffling.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Better now that you’re here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This note isn't as important as the last note. I just want to say that the reason I chose this song is I love Hamilton the Musical a lot and Leslie Odom Jr.'s album is really good in my opinion so this is also a promo for the both of those things.


	18. They Don't Know About Us by One Direction [Songfic] - Starkquill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mostly fluff
> 
> Author’s note: My plan for week 3 is to have a bunch of song-fics. Fluff or angst (probably mostly fluff but who knows)
> 
> Note pt. 2: It took me a really long time to find a song that would fit this ship and when I settled on this I decided that I would ignore the gender mentions. So, I took out all the ‘girls’

 

_People say we shouldn’t be together_

 

_We’re too young to know about forever_

 

_But I say they don’t know what they talk talk talkin’ about_

 

Tony, not usually one for feeding into the media’s lies about his love life, was, for once, reading an article on his and Quill’s relationship.

As biases come, the article was clearly aimed at gearing the reader toward disapproving his relationship and Tony just wanted to burn the whole company down. Hell, he’d sue if Quill cared about it at all, but since he didn’t, there was no point in starting a conflict.

 

_Cause this love is only getting stronger_

 

_So I don’t wanna wait any longer_

 

_I just wanna tell the world that you’re mine_

 

“Peter!” Tony yelled when he walked into the compound. Running up to the man, Tony was relieved that he could finally see Peter after having been apart for three months. “Hey, Tony.” He laughed when Tony nuzzled his face into his neck. “I missed you, too.”

* _snap*_ Tony stilled and Peter’s hand stopped moving into his hair. Tony lifted his head to find Peter Parker, the resident picture-taker of the compound, taking the photo and sighed. “Well? Are you going to introduce us?” Tony chuckled at the teen.

“Peter.” his hand pointed to Quill, “meet Pete.”His hand now pointed to the teenage vigilante with a second personality.

“And who’s he?” Parker said, somewhat offended. There was a pause as Tony looked at Quill lovingly.

“My boyfriend.” “Have you told anyone besides me?” Tony responded, “Rhodey and Pep.”

“Are you going to tell anyone else?” Tony shrugged. “When he’s ready,” he said and pointed at Peter.

 

_Oh, they don’t know about the things we do_

 

_They don’t know about the I love you’s_

 

_But I bet you if they only knew_

 

_They would just be jealous of us_

 

“Hey,” Tony whispered one night as Peter traced lines (probably stars or galaxies) across his arm. “Yeah?” “I love you.”

They had officially been dating for a year and were somehow able to keep it a secret. However, with so much getting ready to go down, the Rogues returning and more unnecessary shit, Tony felt that he needed Peter to know how he felt about him. “I love you, too Tony. What’s this about?” Worry had begun to weave its way into his voice and Tony turned over to face Peter.

“I just wanted you to know. A lot is about to happen and we’re going to have to come out about this one day and I want to savor this moment. With you.”

 

_They don’t know about the up all nights_

 

_They don’t know I’ve waited all my life_

 

_Just to find a love that feels this right_

 

“FRIDAY? Eta?” “The Guardians will be arriving in 2 hours boss.”

Tony groaned and decided he couldn’t focus on anything other than the worry that came with the Guardians of the Galaxy and their rude timeliness. At 3 am Tony, a man who was getting his shit together and sleeping at reasonable times for once was awake and so damn tired he felt he was going to get into the Iron Man suit and sleep.

Two hours later, Tony, somehow still awake, was sitting at the common room kitchen table. When the Guardians entered, they stopped just shy of the door to quiet themselves but saw Tony sitting there instead. Tony had put his tablet on the table in favor of stretching his body and spoke, “Fri?”

His question needed no answer when he looked straight and saw his second family. “Tony,” they greeted and he smiled.

Hugging each of them was a normal thing (also being almost squished by Drax was as well) and being met with a soft kiss from Peter was as well. “Welcome home,” he said as he leaned into Peter’s side. “Good to be back,” Gamora replied and smiled softly at the dynamic between Peter and Tony.

She would never understand them but what she did understand was that they loved each other and that was all that mattered.

 

_Baby they don’t know about, they don’t know about us_

 

_Just one touch and I was a believer, every kiss gets a little sweeter_

 

_It’s getting better_

 

_Keeps getting better all the time_

 

“Hey let’s go out tonight.” Tony’s proposition immediately caught Peter’s attention. Looking up from the book he was reading on Tony’s bed, Peter shrugged and replied, “Why not?” Tony smiled and walked into their bathroom to change into his clothing for the day.

Later that day, Tony ran into Steve Rogers. It wasn’t the first time they would run into each other and Tony was becoming more comfortable with the fact that The Rogues were going to be around more. However, that did not mean Tony was comfortable with the people themselves.

“Rogers,” he started and the man nodded slightly. “Tony.” Tony sighed and walked away. He didn’t have time for sentimentalities from someone that almost killed him.

That night, Peter stood in front of Tony’s door dressed in a suit with a rose in hand. Tony laughed and took the flower. “I expected nothing less.” Peter smiled and Tony kissed his cheek. Peter turned his head and captured Tony’s lips.

“That will never get old,” he said softly.

 

_They don’t know about the things we do_

 

_They don’t know about the I love you’s_

 

_But I bet you if they only knew_

 

_They would just be jealous of us_

 

“I don’t know what it is about Tony but he’s been different since we got back,” Steve spoke to the room of his friends- the people that had chosen his side that had led to this rift between him and Tony.

“That’s an understatement,” Clint’s snarky reply came and Steve sighed.

“Is it that Quill guy?” Sam asked despite knowing that none of this information concerned him. To him, Steve was too obsessed with trying to be friends with Tony again. Sam knew, however, that was not going to be happening. Not after everything that Steve and the team had done.

“Oh and then there’s that guy!” Clint perked up. Steve’s face had a slight downfall when Quill was first mentioned and it remained in that expression for a moment.

“He’s always around. And if it’s not him, someone from his team is always with Tony. It’s like they’re trying to keep him away from us.” Clint complained.

Sam took one look at Steve and knew those words, and Quill being brought up in the first place, were not resonating with him comfortably.

 

_They don’t know how special you are_

 

_They don’t know what you’ve done to my heartbeat_

 

_They can say anything they want_

 

‘ _Cause they don’t know about us_

 

“Peter Quill.” Tony greeted the man obnoxiously. Peter, confused as all hell, responded, “Tony Stark.”

Tony tried to keep a straight face but he quickly molded and fell onto Peter who sat in the love seat of the common room laughing. Peter, not surprised by the unnecessary behavior, just put a bookmark in his book and put it on the table next to the seat.

Steve had walked into the common room and when he saw Tony and Peter enjoying their time together on that damn couch, he walked right back out.

 

 

_They don’t know what we do best_

 

_That’s between me and you, our little secret_

 

_But I wanna tell ‘em_

 

_I wanna tell the world that you’re mine_

 

“Should we tell them?” Tony asked. It was around 2 am and he was stressing out because a really important SI deadline was kicking his ass and he was tired. Peter had left for some outer space business but Tony had finally managed to get an outer-space communication system running and he was using that to talk to Peter.

“Why is this so important to you, Tony?” Peter didn’t sound annoyed and Tony was grateful. If Peter Quill was anything, he was patient with Tony and he valued that more than anything.

“I don’t know. No one else knows and you know how I’m a sucker for attention and-”

“Tony, listen to me. They do not need to know about us. No one needs to know about us because it’s not their business. Now, if you think on this and you decide that we should tell them, then I will have no problem with that but Tony, they’re approval shouldn’t mean anything to you anymore. You have us now.”

 

_They don’t know about the things we do_

 

_They don’t know about the I love you’s_

 

_But I bet you if they only knew_

 

_They would just be jealous of us_

 

Tony took a deep breath before he spoke. He was only talking to Peter but making this confession felt like he was talking to a room of reporters.

“We don’t have to tell them.” Peter smiled. “How’d you come to that conclusion?”

“I realized that I no longer need their validation. Allowing them to hold that bit of control over me takes the fun out of our relationship and that’s the last thing I want.”

The smile that covered Peter’s face wanted Tony to go buy a wedding ring right then and there.

 

_They don’t know about the up all nights_

 

_They don’t know I’ve waited all my life_

 

_Just to find a love that feels this right_

 

_Baby they don’t know about, they don’t know about us_

 

A small gathering of the New Avengers and the Guardians filled the room. The room was inside the courthouse that Peter and Tony were going to be married in.

“Do you, Peter Quill, take Tony Stark to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for rich or poor, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.”

Tony slid the gold ring onto Peter's finger.

“And do you, Tony Stark, take Peter Quill to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for rich or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.”

Peter slid the other gold ring onto Tony's finger.


	19. The Thrill of it All by Sam Smith [Songfic] - Stony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: angst; anGST; ANGSTTTTTTTTTTT
> 
> Author’s note: My plan for week 3 is to have a bunch of song-fics. Fluff or angst (probably mostly fluff but who knows)

_I regret that I told the world_

 

_That you were with me_

 

_And I regret how I showed the world_

 

_That you were pretty_

 

Tony sat in his lab looking over a new copy of the Accords wondering if everything was worth it.

Everything with the Avengers and the dispute over the Accords happened so suddenly and Tony hadn’t begun to wrap his head around the fact that Steve and the others were no longer going to be a day-to-day presence in his life.

Sometimes he thought back on why Steve could have chosen Barnes over their relationship –something they took years to build-- and each time he thought about it, he was reminded of how fragile what they had actually was. Sure, Tony would flaunt his relationship to the press –to feed the dogs-- but there were barely any lies behind anything he had ever said about Steve.

He loved Steve. He told that to the press.

He wouldn’t mind marrying Steve. He told that to the press.

He wouldn’t mind settling down and retiring with Steve. He told that to the press.

So much for any of that happening, he scolded himself. If there was anything Tony ever regretted in life, it would no longer be able to top his relationship with _Steve Rogers. “_ Captain America,” he scoffed to himself and read through more amendments.

Emptiness was at the forefront of his mind.

 

_I never thought I’d learn so much_

 

_So much from bein’ lonely_

 

_But I guess I didn’t learn enough_

 

‘ _Cause now you won’t hold me_

 

Tony sat in the team common room one day. He had just been left alone as many of the New Avengers were quickly coming to realize Tony wasn’t up to bar with any interactions as of late. His physical health was a major factor but it was mostly his time of recognizing he needed to self-reflect on a lot of things.

So many things had gone wrong in his life and through it all, he never sat down and questioned who or why he was. That changed now because he needed to look back and understand why this simple misunderstanding was affecting him so much. He was going to reflect on how he was going to move forward and he was going to reflect on the past to figure out how those events led him here.

The forerunner of his thoughts was, once again, Steve Rogers.

He didn’t hate Steve. Hell, he could try all he wanted and he would never be able to hate him with any fiber of his being.

But he was wary now. Wary of love. Wary of affection. He wondered to himself why someone would have the gall to pull what Steve had done but he soon came to realize that it wasn’t a single person fault.

Sighing, Tony got comfortable. Legs crossed like a child and a cup of warm green tea between both of his hands and Tony just stared into it. _Giving up Coffee for tea,_ he chuckled to himself. _Some engineer I am._

 

_I guess I got lost in the moment_

 

_I guess I got lost in the fall_

 

_I guess I got lost in your heartbeat_

 

_In the thrill of it all_

 

“Was it a heat in a moment fling?” “Why did Rogers and Stark end it? Was it the Accords or something deeper?” “They seemed so happy.”

Tony wanted to throw the remote in his hand at the damn television screen. He was tired of seeing shit like this in the news. There were far more important things that needed to be covered than his love life. However, he wished he didn’t agree with the sentiment that the viewers seemed to share.

He wondered now (now that his mind wasn’t clouded with what he believed to be love) if his relationship was a heat in the moment type of thing.

Sometimes his mind wandered to that thought and he tried so hard to ignore it but right at this moment, it was so hard to when the thought kept coming back. His thoughts wandered back to times when Steve barely acted as if they were together.

He would ignore Tony when he talked.

He would only invite Tony to team events if someone else wanted to know if he was coming.

He barely put any effort into the relationship.

Tony sometimes asks Friday how much money he spent on Steve. Not the other Avengers, just Steve. The number she presents to him is nothing in comparison to what he has but when Rhodey and Pepper found out, they were damn-near ready to bury him six feet under because of how much money it was.

 _Did I really love him?_ He’ll ask himself.

Once, in a moment of complete weakness and loneliness, he asked Friday, “What are things people who are in love do?” and was not surprised when most of the answers only applied to his end of the relationship.

 

_And I guess you were goddamn perfect_

 

‘ _Cause every single time you call_

 

_I remind myself of what I lost that night, my love_

 

_In the thrill of it all_

 

“So no matter what, I promise if you – if you need us. If you need me, I’ll be there.”

Sometimes, those words haunted Tony’s nightmares. It wasn’t like Tony didn’t believe them, it was just that he found it hard to trust the man that was supposed to ‘be there’ for him from the time they started the team.

Team. Tony scoffs every time someone associates that word with the old Avengers. If anything, the new Avengers are ten times the team the old Avengers could have ever been.

Even now, when that letter and abomination of a phone remain locked away but in his possession, Tony feels some type of way when he is reminded of what he once had. Not only with Steve but with the Avengers.

It’s funny when Tony thinks about it. He may have been the official Avengers consultant but imagine how much worse he would have been treated if he had been an actual member of the ‘team’. This hurt wouldn’t have eased any bit but at least he would have known that they wouldn’t have been faking anything when they were around him.

Sometimes Tony wants to burn the letter and break the damn phone.

 

_Even though we weren’t in love_

 

_It was far from lust_

 

_Yeah, you were beautiful_

 

_But in you I could trust_

 

“There was more than that to our relationship,” Tony responded to, “Was money the love in your relationship?”

“Obviously there was money. It’s practically what I’m made of, but our relationship was built on trust. It’s always been hard to find people to trust when you have money. People want to take it from you.”

He was cut off, “Is that what he did? He took your money?”

Tony sighed because not everyone knew about his funding of the Barnes search. “Yes. He claimed to have loved me while using my money to fund an endless search.”

 

_Others, they warned my heartbeat_

 

_They said I would lose fast_

 

_They said that you were stoppin’ ground_

 

_And soon to be my past_

 

“Rhodey!” Tony yelled when he and Steve had returned to the common room after the shovel talk. James Rhodes look nothing less than displeased and he motioned for Tony to come with him outside the room.

When they were near the elevator, which was near the kitchen but not near the common room, Rhodey looked at Tony. “Don’t do this.”

Tony looked taken aback. “What? Why?”

“There’s only two ways this will end, quickly or painfully.”

Tony desperately wished he had listened to that warning.

 

_I guess I got lost in the moment_

 

_I guess I got lost in the fall_

 

_I guess I got lost in your heartbeat_

 

_In the thrill of it all_

 

Steve took one step forward from his position in front of Tony (a good three feet away) and in a second, Peter, Riri and Kamala stood protectively around the genius. (With no need because the War Machine armor was next to Tony, occupied, and ready for anything to happen.)

“Tony?” Steve’s confused voice got a groan from Rhodey and Tony smirked. Moving the tie on his suit to a more comfortable position (also another way to show he was armed since his watch was blinking red showing that his armor was ready when he needed it), Tony responded, “There will no longer be any tolerance for romantic advances between you and I. What we had is done.

“What we will have is a strictly professional relationship.”

Upon finishing his statement, Tony and the New Avengers turned and walked away. He was no longer going to be a heat-of-the-moment fling. No matter who he was with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive and well! I was battling writer's block for a while but then some motivation hit me and I finished some chapters so enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my Tumblr [here.](https://myheroesrbands.tumblr.com)


End file.
